Notes: Usability, references, numeric types / comparisons, etc.HEADmain

1 files changed, 66 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/notes/usability_improvements.txt b/notes/usability_improvements.txt
index 1da5546..5935860 100644
--- a/notes/usability_improvements.txt
+++ b/notes/usability_improvements.txt
@@ -657,3 +657,69 @@ Perhaps some interactive functions that can work either in a GUI or in a CLI:
   This prevents both security and portability issues.
 - Similarly, strange Unicode characters (RTL, control, etc)
   should be replaced with replacement characters.
+
+Avoid special characters: Module headers
+----------------------------------------
+
+Instead of \ for module headers:
+
+    \slul 0.0.0
+    \name test
+    \version 0.1.0
+
+It could be a ":" at the end:
+
+    slul: 0.0.0
+    name: test
+    version: 0.1.0
+
+(Maybe some module headers should be renamed to better
+work as "attribute:" rather than "\directive")
+
+
+Avoid special characters: Type identifiers?
+-------------------------------------------
+
+Can this be done at all? Is it a good idea?
+
+Currently:
+
+    ref Thing t = .new(arena)
+    t.set_type(.a)
+    t.set_flags(.visible=true, .enabled=false)
+
+Could/should the dots be skipped?
+
+    ref Thing t = .new(arena)
+    t.set_type(.a)
+    t.set_flags(.visible=true, .enabled=false)
+
+
+arena-refs vs non-arena refs
+----------------------------
+
+This could be confusing, because no major language has arenas.
+
+    ref Thing t1 = ...
+    arena Thing t2 = ...
+
+
+Add tuple type and disallow it to contain certain types?
+--------------------------------------------------------
+
+A tuple type could be useful for e.g. multiple return values:
+
+    func Thing.do_stuff() -> (int x, int y)
+
+Tuples:
+
+* Can be initialized with or without (e.g. (1,0)) field names
+* Can be compared
+* Can't contain funcrefs
+* Can't contain structs directly
+* Can't contain arrays of funcrefs/structs
+
+Structs:
+
+* Can only be initialized with field names, e.g. (.x=1,.y=0)
+* Can't be compared?