Request for feedback: deriving strategies syntax

Ryan Scott ryan.gl.scott at gmail.com
Fri Aug 12 18:31:08 UTC 2016


I can understand your reaction to the word "bespoke". I certainly
never use it in daily conversation, and it's only from Richard's
assurance (and from consulting a dictionary) that I feel confident
about using it in this context.

I don't think "bespoken" is a synonym for "bespoke", at least
according to Merriam-Webster, which claims that the modern-day
definition of "bespoke" has a distinct meaning from "bespeak" (which
"bespoken" is the past participle of) [1]. Disclaimer: I am not a
linguist. :)

On the subject of alternative names, you may be interested in reading
this section of the DerivingSyntax wiki page [2], which lists other
names besides "bespoke" and "builtin" that have been tossed around as
ideas. They include:

* magic
* wiredin
* standard
* native
* original
* specialized

All of those suggestions sort of convey the meaning I want to evoke
(i.e., derive an instance using some domain-specific knowledge to
guide the implementation), but they all also have other connotations
that could make them sound ambiguous. "Bespoke" at least has the
advantage of being an obscure-enough word that I doubt anyone would
accuse it of being misleading.

I hope you don't interpret this e-mail as dismissing your concerns.
It's just that I have to pick _some_ name for this keyword, and after
considering all of the options thus far, "bespoke" is the one that
seems the most palatable. If folks strongly disagree, please chime
in—I'm sure we can figure something that future deriving strategists
can stomach.

Ryan S.
-----
[1] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bespoke
[2] https://ghc.haskell.org/trac/ghc/wiki/Commentary/Compiler/DerivingStrategies#Alternativesyntax


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