[Python-ideas] Message passing syntax for objects

[Mark Janssen]

>> I guess here's the idea I'm getting at.  As a programming language
>> paradigm, OOP has to evolve -- it still has too much dependency on
>> number-crunching and the mathematical operators still dominate.
>>
>> But a better abstraction to wrap the OOP paradigm around is
>> *message-passing* rather than *arithmetic*.  And having in/out
>> operators on objects is just *way cool*.
>
> "Way cool", unfortunately, isn't enough for writing code. It has to be
> useful, too. The Zen of Python reminds us that practicality beats
> purity; turning everything into message passing may be awesome in
> purity, but where does it stand on practicality? Are there real-world
> problems that are awkward to solve in present-day Python that are made
> massively cleaner/easier with this proposal?

Perhaps I'm using the wrong language.  Instead of borrowing from Alan
Kays, it should be called "data passing".  It's a very common and
important part of the object-oriented paradigm.  The language could
support a *consistent* way to do this for all objects.

> I suppose what I'm asking for is a 1-2 sentence blurb to sell the
> idea. What's the key advantage for daily work?

No more having to learn each programers interface for passing
interacting with the object.  The >> and << syntax now becomes the de
facto way for object interaction across all objects.  Class design
will revolve around this fact.

Mark