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Re: Use for $call_verb

At 12:51 PM 8/2/96 PDT, Jefferson M. Dubrule wrote:
>I just thought of a really cool thing that could be done if there existed a
>server->database interface for calling verbs.
>
>The idea would be that a verb call: foo:bar(args) would attempt to call
>#0:call_verb(foo, "bar", {@args}) before making the call by itself.  If the
>verb on #0 did not exist (or was -x), it would proceed with the call normally,
>if the the built-in raised an error, that would be passed on to the calling
>program, otherwise, the server would pass back whatever call_verb returned to
>the caller.
>
>If NO type checking were done in advance of call_verb, it would be possible to
>do something like this:
>
>{2,1,4,3}:sort();
>
>This would call $call_verb({2, 1, 4, 3}, "sort", {}), which would call
>$list_utils:sort({2, 1, 4, 3}), which returns {1,2,3,4} to $call_verb, which
>passes that back to the player.  This seems like a very cool thing to do,
>OOP-wise.

...I still think that the highest priority should be to optimize the server
code before allowing some potentially server-intensive 'features'.  Maybe
there's just a better server way of doing it though.  If this was done
in-db, $call_verb() would be called excessively, if it was part of the
server, it would be able to decide what to do with the data type more
efficently.

There's one thing I don't really understand though, what's the difference
between..

----- This:
#666:some_verb():  {4,2,3,1}:sort()
#0:call_verb():    caller_perms() shit
                   buncha typeof() shit
                   figure out where/what :sort() is and if
                    it uses lists.
                   call $some_util:sort({4,2,3,1});
----- And this:
#666:some_verb():  $some_util:sort({4,2,3,1});
-----

For the mentally blind, the difference is somewhere around 100 ticks,
depending on how many verbs are built into our frobs, and about 15
characters in #666:some_verb().

I have a better idea.  In xxx:yyy(zzz), if xxx is not an object, return
$frobs_utils:yyy(xxx,zzz);  I doubt this will ever make it into a final
release, but I would REALLY REALLY (please please?) like someone to make a
patch for this.

I think we're just getting too lazy.  We want the MOO to figure out what
$util has what verb and which uses the correct type.  Yes, frobs is pretty
damn useful and easy, but why can't we just memorize $utils?  And if we
can't, why not just merge the $utils?

All the freaky weirdos who are so stupid they can't memorize $utils should
do some more studying.  As for me, I think frobs is a great idea, those
$utils are too confusing.

- Kipp
PS. paragraph[$]:parse_joke();
http://radioactivo.com.mx/~paradigm
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