[Geany-devel] Set Filetypes Menu - group names

[Nick Treleaven]

On Sat, 30 Apr 2011 02:39:09 -0700
Matthew Brush <mbrush at codebrainz.ca> wrote:

> On 04/29/11 09:06, Nick Treleaven wrote:
> > On Thu, 28 Apr 2011 20:13:05 -0700
> > Matthew Brush<mbrush at codebrainz.ca>  wrote:
> >
> >> I'm sure you can see what I mean, there's a lot of gray area using the
> >> term Compiled, since many languages can either be compiled to machine
> >> code, interpreted by a VM/runtime, compiled then interpreted, compiled
> >> to one format then another, compiled just in time, and so on.
> >
> > Obviously all source code is compiled at some point. The Compiled group
> > all have one thing in common - separate compilation is normally
> > required before execution. This is still true for Java. Python compiles
> > on the fly, and is obviously thought of as a scripting language rather
> > than a compiled one.
> 
> I guess I just don't see much difference between a .class/.jar file and 
> a .pyc/.egg at this level.  Python is typically not compiled on the fly, 
> it's compiled once, and then the bytecode is run many times, it only 
> compiles on the fly when there's no up to date .pyc file.  Usually 
> you'll have compiled .pyc/.pyx files in your system directories, PATH, 
> etc., AFAIK.

Yes, the result is cached, kind of. But it is usually done when the
user wants to run a Python program, the user doesn't compile
modules first, unlike Java.

> A (probably bad) analogy would be like grouping computers by "those with 
> a hard drive" and "those which run Windows".  Which group does a laptop 
> fit in?  A desktop?  A server?  A thin client?

That is unfair. Compiled has a technical meaning which you are
using, but languages that don't auto-compile is a distinct category and
recognisable by users.

> Anyway, it's not such a big deal, and Compiled is more accurate than 
> Programming, so thanks for addressing it.

Ok. If others mostly dislike the current grouping and can agree on a
better alternative (one without long menus) I don't mind switching.

Regards,
Nick