Why aren't we all speaking LISP now?

[Steven D. Majewski]

On Sat, 12 May 2001, Fredrik Lundh wrote:

> what exactly is the difference between Python's call model
> and Smalltalk's message passing?  consider something like:
> 
>     spam.egg(bacon)
> 
> couldn't this be seen as sending the message "egg" to the
> object "spam"?

Fredrik -- 
 If you really want to get into *THAT* question, there's a long 
flaming argument going on in comp.lang.objective-c about messaging --
particularly whether it's appropriate to call the semantics of
Smalltalk and Objective-C as "message passing" or "message sending" 
or whether it's "merely" functional application after dynamic 
lookup. 
  I *do* think there is a significant difference, however, it's 
flying in the face of 20+  years of (mis-) usage, just as "object
oriented" has gotten mired in a lot of inconsistant usage. 

 [ I was pushing a compromise position: 
    * distinguishing between the methaphor of sending messages, 
      and the technical term "message passing" 
    * and if objective-c can be said to send any sort of messages,
      then they are sent to classes and definitely not objects. 
     ( The case for Python is different becuase it is capable of
       some object specialized behaviour. ) ]
 

-- Steve Majewski