RE: [Yaml-core] A modest proposal

[Oren Ben-K. <or...@ri...>]

Clark C . Evans [mailto:cc...@cl...] wrote:
> I've given the implicit indicators some thought
> and I must say I don't like it beacuse it makes
> YAML more complicated.  Having indicators 
> gives us N rules to memorise.  Having all
> of these indicators optional under particular
> circumstances doubles the number of rules.

Good point. Of course, we could make these rules pretty simple...

> After a short period of time, your eyes
> glance over the % and @ without problem.

Well, when I showed a piece of YAML code with these indicators, people were
baffled. Without these indicators they got the meaning immediately. So I
can't say with any confidence they increase readability.

> I'd rather keep YAML simple and thus more
> readable. No short hands!

Simple != readable. Do you really believe that:

delivery: %
    !: date
    &: 17
    =: 2001-02-03

Is more readable than:

delivery: %(!date &17) 2001-02-03

S-expressions are simple. RPN (Reverse Polish Notation) is simple. Neither
is human-readable. Humans have a strange perception mechanism that makes
Perl preferable to Lisp. Many languages (especially the functional and
logical ones) ignored this to their peril.

As Einstein said "make it as simple as possible but not any simpler".

Regardless of shorthands and implicit indicators, what do you think of using
" ' ` for the three scalar types? It is an independent issue...


Have fun,

    Oren Ben-Kiki