At 12:07 AM -0400 8/19/03, Benjamin Goldberg wrote:
> There are a number of shortcomings in the API, which I'd like to address

> here, and propose improvments for.


You're conflating language level strings with low-level strings. Don't.

STRINGs, the parrot structure and what S registers point to, are 
single-encoding, single-character set entities. They're designed for 
as fast access as feasable while maintaining the bare minimum of 
language/set/encoding abstraction. Parts of the core *will* assume 
they are concrete and, once transformed into a fixed-width format, 
can be accessed directly while avoiding all the overhead of the 
encoding (and even character set) functions.

PMCs are full-blown language level variables that can do whatever the 
heck they want when accessed. Everything you do can be mediated by C, 
Parrot, or perl/python/ruby/scheme/forth/BASIC/whatever code. Lazy 
strings, multi-encoding strings, tree structures with strin reps, 
whiatever.

Most, nearly all, high-level language level functionality should use 
PMCs. If a STRING is insufficiently flexible for what you want, 
that's a sign you shouldn't use it.
-- 
                                         Dan

--------------------------------------"it's like this"-------------------
Dan Sugalski                          even samurai
dan@[...].org                         have teddy bears and even
                                       teddy bears get drunk