We Need a Definitions page

BlitzMax Forums/BlitzMax Programming/We Need a Definitions page

H&K	(Posted 2006) [#1]

Ok right off, I’m not saying or implying that people don’t know what all the computer/programming terms/words mean.

BUT a story.

I can speak Spanish. I’m not brilliant, but I taught in a school in Spain for six years, so I can get by.
One day I went shopping. I went shopping for a chicken.
I had been told to make sure I got a female chicken, (Stupid of me to fall for it I know).
(Those who can speak Spanish can see where this is going. And for those who cannot, it works the other way round in English).
So.....I went to the market, and asked for a Nice Big Juicy Chicken(fem), (Yes I know I should have asked for una gallina, but its not my first language)
The market stall man, (with a perfectly straight face), apologized, told me he only had one, which wasn’t for sale, and directed me to another stall.
Nine stalls I went to. NINE
I was getting more and more irritated, (Because I definitely was asking for a female chicken), yet couldn’t find anyone who would sell me one.

Now Blitz is the same. For a lot of people, it not even their first computer language, let alone their native language. (Cos THAT would be scary).

And even when we are being consistent with the terms we use, we are not using them the way someone else might be. And often not in the terms that BMax uses (I for one have referred to Type as class, and I think posted “In your class definition…...”, which probably wasn’t very helpful to a novice).

SO, can we have a definitions page, so that we all know in what ways to refer to certain things.

Yours H&K

bradford6

(Posted 2006) [#2]

I agree. The world of OOP is full of ambiguities. The Keyword 'Type' could be replaced with the keyword 'Class' very easily. I think it is TYPE in BMAX to appeal to blitz3d/plus/basic users.

Since 'Class' is not a current keyword maybe we couold get an alias.

not a big deal though

Chris C

(Posted 2006) [#3]

errrm, isnt this just the kind of thing the wiki is for?

N	(Posted 2006) [#4]

The wiki has been locked down due to the spam. Its maintainer is working on a solution. I forgot his name, though..

H&K	(Posted 2006) [#5]

Maybe it is the sort of thing the wiki is for, but would It hurt to have one sticky thread, or page, here. Its not like Im asking for a whole manual. (Those Blitz 3d programers are soooo spoilt)

Sub_Zero

(Posted 2006) [#6]

Why is people spamming it? idiots. Or is it bots?

N	(Posted 2006) [#7]

Bots.

FlameDuck

(Posted 2006) [#8]

I'd rather hear an explaination for the chicken story. What is a female chicken in spanish?

And yes, Types and Classes are different terms for the same thing.

Method overloading means having the same method name, but distinctly different parameters. (BlitzMAX doesn't do this).

Method Overriding is another word for Polymorphism (which is the word you should be using as that way, people don't confuse it with overloading), which refers to a subclass method that provides it's own implementation of an existing method.

Object or Instance refers to a concrete, existing Class, where as Class and Type are used to decribe the generalized concept, objects and instances refer to concrete instances in memory.

Interface traditionally meant the Methods of a Class that where exposed to other classes. Today however, they can refer to anything an object exposes to the world, including but not limited to methods. This is particularly relevant in a language like BlitzMAX, which doesn't have access modifiers.

H&K	(Posted 2006) [#9]

FlameDuck, I wasnt asking for the definitions. I was Requesting a sticky page with them on so that we all use the same definitions.

A female Chicken in Spanish is "una gallina", Which as I stated I didnt use. (Do you know what the English for male Chiken is. cos as I said its the same Story in English if you asked for a Male Chicken)(ie Daneish, Pik)

GfK	(Posted 2006) [#10]

So..... what happened with the chicken? Did you get one?

:)

H&K	(Posted 2006) [#11]

Dont get me started. Another time they had me going round asking the market Stall people if they had been handleing the eggs.

TIP:- Even when they say they love you, If they speak a different First Language, DONT TRUST THEM, when they send you to the shops.

@Flame,
Another example of what I mean is that I will use "FootPrint".
Ie It doent work because the footprint of the class you are trying to override with, is different to the base class.

Now Im sure that you know what that means. BUT, It would be nice if I knew that I was using the same words as the person I was posting to. Because normaly you only have to post that sort of anwser to a novice, who may not know the terms that I have chosen to use. As (I assume) you are using a second language here, you must see my point

And if you dont belive me. Read the thread "Overridding Create", and the very first reply was "You cannot overload in BMax". And I KNOW they knew the differance, they had just assumed that I didnt

slenkar

(Posted 2006) [#12]

why did the stall owner say he only had one and it wasnt for sale?

FlameDuck

(Posted 2006) [#13]

Now Im sure that you know what that means.

Well no actually I've never heard that term before. From the context I would assume it was analogous to Interface.

H&K	(Posted 2006) [#14]

Yep, or I could have said silhouette, (Which I would never do).
But "The main difference between overriding and overloading is that with overloading the silhouette, with repect to the compiler is Identical, wereas those of overloaded functions differ by ether type, or number/type of paremeters" while techicaly correct, is a stupid wayto say it.
(Probably "Shape of Interface is a better paraphrase)

Does a Sticky definitions page get your vote?

WarpZone

(Posted 2006) [#15]

Well, Blitz isn't my first programming language. I learned Flash AS first. So, here's a brief explaination of the chicken joke in Flash ActionScript:

//Chicken Type defined in an external AS file
import Chicken.as;

var englishChicken:Object = New Chicken;
englishChicken.gender = male;
var espaniolChicken:Object = New Chicken;
espaniolChicken.gender = female;

//toEnglish and toSpanish are language translation methods (not shown).

var punchline:String = (toEnglish(englishChicken.gender.genitiles));

trace (punchline); // returns "cock"

punchline = (toSpanish(espaniolChicken.gender.genitiles));

trace (punchline); //can anyone guess what this returns?  This exercise is left up to the user!

Hey, now that I think about it, are we talking European Spanish or Mexican Spanish? It makes a difference, especially with profanities.