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From: Douglas Moore
Subject: Re: FIRST CLASS definition
Message-ID: <1995Apr3.075615.7890@lugb.latrobe.edu.au>
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Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 07:56:15 GMT
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Keywords: first class
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In article <patrick_d_logan.213.0009493C@ccm.jf.intel.com>, 
patrick_d_logan@ccm.jf.intel.com (Patrick D. Logan) writes:

>In article <1995Mar29.012406.16557@lugb.latrobe.edu.au> Douglas Moore writes:
>
>>(a) What is your preferred definition of first classness?
>
>An object that can exist without a name and be referenced directly by any** 
>other object is a "first class" object.
>
>Any other objects are "second class" because they don't have the same 
>priveleges.
>
>**Any other object capable of referencing other objects, that is.
>

I like it!

Can I quote you on this?

If you have written it somewhere, I would like the reference so that I can 
quote that.

It fits in with my ideas. One could equally say that in the beginning of the 
construction, all first class objects--that is to say all objects--have the 
_same name_. We could call them #. This is like in the Lambda calculus where 
all functions have the name LAMBDA, which really is the equivalant to being 
nameless. It is only an _anonymous_ name. 

Thus:

All first class objects have the same (anonymous) name # and can be referred to 
in different contexts by all other object via this name. 

If we include the context in the algebra, then the name becomes modified by the 
context and becomes a proper name. 

In a system based on first classness, all naming is uniquely determined by 
context relative to other name objects. 

An object is second class if it has a name which is not uniquely determined by 
its relative context with respect to other objects.

In a totally first class system, contexts themselves are first class objects in 
there own right.


Doug




In order to establish first classness, I refer to
"any object whatsoever" with the symbol #. 
all objects with the symbol #. Since this symbol can refer to anything 
whatsoever, including itslef, it is not a real name. Thus all objects with the 
name #
>
>Patrick_D_Logan@ccm.jf.intel.com
>Intel/Personal Conferencing Division
>(503) 264-9309 FAX: (503) 263-3375
>
>"In doing this we fall into a trap that Alexander 
>wants us to avoid: separating design from construction."
>-Richard P. Gabriel, Critic-At-Large

   --------------------------------------------------
       Douglas Huntington Moore (doug@latcs1.lat.oz.au)

                          GO STOIC

         and avoid the entrapment of abstraction
      --the source of most evil in the world today.
   --------------------------------------------------
