layout rule infelicity

[Ashley Yakeley]

At 2002-05-30 02:26, Jon Fairbairn wrote:

>I think this is extremely bad language design! In general I
>like having layout rules, but
...

What's the deal with the whole "layout" thing anyway? I've never come 
across it before in another language. Is it an academic thing? It drove 
me nuts when I first started Haskell, until I discovered you could use 
semicolons/braces instead (which I always do).

If I were teaching Haskell to "working programmer" types like myself, I 
would encourage them to always use full semicolons and braces and forget 
layout entirely (except a lot of available Haskell source seems to use 
it). Certainly I find {;} more readable, and I suspect anyone else with a 
C/C++/Java background (or even a Scheme/Lisp background) does too.</RANT>

-- 
Ashley Yakeley, Seattle WA