Fun_People Archive
11 Nov
SOP and C+-

Date: Fri, 11 Nov 94 14:09:09 PST
To: Fun_People
Subject: SOP and C+-

Forwarded-by: bostic@CS.Berkeley.EDU (Keith Bostic)
Forwarded-by: whorfin@pixar.com (Rick Sayre)
From: Peter Schroder <ps@math.scarolina.edu>

C+- (pronounced "C more or less")

Unlike C++, C+- is a subject oriented language.  Each C+- class instance,
known as a subject, holds hidden members, known as prejudices or
undeclared preferences, which are impervious to outside messages, as well
as public members known as boasts or claims.  The following C operators
are overridden as shown:

    >     better than
    <     worse than
    >>    much better than
    <<    forget it
    !     not on your life
    ==    comparable, other things being equal

C+- is a strongly typed language based on stereotyping and self-righteous
logic.  The Boolean variables TRUE and FALSE (known as constants in less
realistic languages) are supplemented with CREDIBLE and DUBIOUS, which
are fuzzier than Zadeh's traditional fuzzy categories.  All Booleans can
be declared with the modifiers strong and weak.  Weak implication is said
to "preserve deniability" and was added at the request of the D.O.D. to
ensure compatability with future versions of Ada.  Well-formed falsehoods
(WFFs) are assignment-compatible with all booleans.  What-if and why-not
interactions are aided by the special conditional evenifnot X then Y.

C+- supports information hiding and, among friend classes only, rumor
sharing.  Borrowing from the Eiffel lexicon, non-friend classes can be
killed by arranging contracts.  Note that friendships are intransitive,
volatile, and non-Abelian.

Single and multiple inheritance mechanisms are implemented with random
mutations.  Disinheritance rules are covered by a complex probate
protocol.  In addition to base, derived, virtual, and abstract classes,
C+- supports gut classes.  In certain locales, polygamous derivations and
bastard classes are permitted.  Elsewhere, loose coupling between classes
is illegal, so the marriage and divorce operators may be needed:

    marriage (MParent1, FParent1);
    //child classes can now be derived
    sclass MySclass:  public MParent1, FParent1
    {           //    define MySclass

    sclass YourSclass: public MParent1, FParent2
    // illegitimate

    divorce (MParent1, FParent2);

    marriage (MParent1, FParent2);
    sclass YourSclass: public MParent1, FParent2
    {   //   OK now

Operator precedence rules can be suspended with the directive #pragma
dwim, known as the "Do what I mean" pragma.  ANSIfication will be firmly
resisted.  C+-'s slogan is "Be Your Own Standard."
Fun_People Archive 11 NovSOP and C+-

Fun_People Archive
11 Nov
SOP and C+-
