Date: Tue, 16 Apr 91 13:16:47 EDT
From: geoff@circus.camex.com
To: clp@home.harvardsq.com, rms@ai.mit.edu
Subject: C more-or-less

[from rec.funny: C more-or-less]

	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 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, FParent1);

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."

[from the april '91 issue of AIExpert ]



-- 
Maurice Suhre
suhre@trwrb.dsd.trw.com