To: "Scott E. Fahlman" <sef+@cs.cmu.edu>
cc: gwydion-group@ELROND.GANDALF.CS.CMU.EDU
Subject: Re: My proposals 
Fcc: out-copy
In-reply-to: Your message of Tue, 01 Feb 94 23:51:23 -0500.
--------

Comparison of practices is much clearer when presented in a table:

usage			proposed	current		C/C++	
________________________________________________________________
assignment		:=		:=		=
initialization		:=		=		=
generic =		==		=		==
id?			other (id?)	==		none

For Dylan, "initialization" means:
    let x = 3;
    define variable x = 3;
    define constant x = 3;

Note that in the current syntax, a different marker is used for
"assignment" and for assigning initial values.  C is not inconsistent in
this way, though there are precendents (Pascal, Ada?) for using = instead
of := in places where it is more of a "define this to mean thus" rather
than a side effect.

I'm not actually sure that Robert intends to propose changing to:
    let x := 3;
    define variable x := 3;
    define constant x := 3;

but that is my recollection of our conclusion (at the meeting Robert wasn't
at.)

  Rob