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Subject: Re: [PHP-DEV] Inconsistencies in 5.3
From: stas@zend.com (Stanislav Malyshev)

Hi!

> "I don't want braces because people would think it acts like C++" is as
> silly as saying "I don't want the current namespace Foo; syntax because
> people will think it acts like python"

Errr... as far as I know Python has no "namespace Foo;" syntax. And as I 
repeated numerous times, the syntax should be driven primarily by 
function, not by what decision some guys (even very smart guys) took 
when they designed entirely different language. The function of PHP 
namespaces makes {} make little sense, since {} implies bounded (and 
potentially nested) scope, that is repeatable and has "inside" and 
"outside".

> Thinking as a new user...
> How is
> namespace foo;
> semantically different from
> class foo {}
> or even
> function foo {}

1. Namespace is a tag on the entities defined inside this file, function 
is not. Class can be viewed as such, kind of, but it'd be very limiting 
view (class is more than just tag on set of function names).
2. Class and function exist as stand-alone entity, namespace does not.
3. There can be context outside class/function in this file, but not 
outside namespace.

> I'm defining something yes?  With stuff basically "inside it".  Yes an
> oversimplification, but the strength of PHP has always been simple.  So
> why should it act differently?  Why does it need different syntax to
> define something?

Well, it should act differently for the same reason class and function 
act differently - because they are different things. ITYM "why the 
should _look_ differently?". As I said, that is because for them to look 
the same would be to imply things about namespaces that are not true.

> But at the end of the day this is all personal preference.  Just
> remember the poor people who have to teach this to the new users ;)

I can help with that. Here's world's shortest course on PHP namespaces:

1. To define namespace for the file, write "namespace Foo::Bar;" at the 
beginning of the file.
2. That's it, enjoy. ;)

-- 
Stanislav Malyshev, Zend Software Architect
stas@zend.com   http://www.zend.com/
(408)253-8829   MSN: stas@zend.com