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Re: [ddlm-group] Space as a list item separator

Dear James,

   I am keeping a dizzying collection of versions and building in
so many options, I'll have to register as a securities dealer.

   Regards,
     Herbert

=====================================================
  Herbert J. Bernstein, Professor of Computer Science
    Dowling College, Kramer Science Center, KSC 121
         Idle Hour Blvd, Oakdale, NY, 11769

                  +1-631-244-3035
                  [email protected]
=====================================================

On Thu, 3 Dec 2009, James Hester wrote:

> Herbert writes:
> 
> "I thought you had your vote and had decided not to support commas in
> lists, but if it is still being discussed ..."
> 
> I have been holding off on a final declaration, given that the vote wasn't
> that definitive and John hasn't yet contributed. But, unless Brian and John
> both move to the commas + spaces option, the choice of this group is that
> spaces only can be used as a list item separator.� That will be the syntax
> that we will move forward with.
> 
> Herbert: keep your current software versions around somewhere, because until
> COMCIFS formally puts the big tick in the box, the standard is not set in
> stone.
> 
> On Wed, Dec 2, 2009 at 10:24 AM, Herbert J. Bernstein
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>       I am very sorry to hear that. �In my shop, dealing with this one
>       change will involve 1-3 person-months of recoding to make commas
>       optional and
>       to introduce warning messages when they are encountered and in
>       redoing dictionaries and test cases. �What a pointless waste. �I
>       hope this
>       group will complete its work in the near future, so we can have
>       some
>       chance of having something stable to work against.
>
>       =====================================================
>       �Herbert J. Bernstein, Professor of Computer Science
>       � Dowling College, Kramer Science Center, KSC 121
>       � � � �Idle Hour Blvd, Oakdale, NY, 11769
>
>       � � � � � � � � +1-631-244-3035
>       � � � � � � � � [email protected]
>       =====================================================
> 
> On Wed, 2 Dec 2009, James Hester wrote:
>
>       Counting up the votes so far on the list delimiter
>       question I get:
>
>       Space and comma: David, Herbert
>       Space only: Simon, Nick, James, Joe (?)
>       Agnostic: Brian
>       Unknown: John
>
>       It looks like the spaces have it, although I have perhaps
>       over-interpreted
>       Joe's reply.��
>
>       On Wed, Dec 2, 2009 at 3:57 AM, David Brown
>       <[email protected]> wrote:
>       � � �MY VOTE IS FOR 1 (SPACE AND COMMA) because commas are
>       better
>       � � �visually.� Not a strong argument and I would not give
>       my vote a
>       � � �large weighting.� I can live with 2 as well.
>
>       � � �David
>
>       � � �James Hester wrote:
>       Dear CIF2 people: the time has come to vote on the list
>       item
>       separator issue.� Firstly: as far as I know, nobody is
>       against
>       space as a separator, so spaces will be possible list item
>       separators.� Some may be against commas, so this vote is
>       on
>       whether or not to allow commas.
>
>       To summarise the arguments:
>
>       1. In favour of both space and comma
>       �� - comma is used in some other non-CIF contexts as a
>       list
>       delimiter
>
>       2. Against comma:
>       �� - A single type of separator makes the grammar simpler
>       �� - Space is used everywhere else in CIF as a separator
>       (consistency)
>       �� - Comma can then be used in non-delimited strings
>
>       Space only: Nick, James (Nick is here)
>       Comma and Space: ?
>
>       On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 5:30 PM, James Hester
>       <[email protected]> wrote:
>       � � �More specifically, CIF1.1 excludes square brackets
>       � � �as the first character in a non-delimited string.
>
>       � � �On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 9:33 AM, James Hester
>       � � �<[email protected]> wrote:
>       � � � � � �Dear Herbert: as CIF 1.1 doesn't define
>       � � � � � �lists, I'm not sure why you suggest that
>       � � � � � �the example below is a valid tag.
>
>       � � � � � �On Tue, Dec 1, 2009 at 12:36 AM, Herbert
>       � � � � � �J. Bernstein
>       � � � � � �<[email protected]> wrote:
>       � � � � � � � � �Sorry something got lost in
>       � � � � � � � � �the prior message. �It
>       � � � � � � � � �should have
>       � � � � � � � � �read:
>
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �Dear Colleagues,
>
>       � � � � � � � � � � � ��Back to the
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �question of
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �commas. �If you
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �accept the
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �desirability of
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �having a CIF
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �1.5, commas in
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �lists become
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �very useful.
>       � � � � � � � � � � � ��Someone with
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �a CIF 1.1 editor
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �will be able to
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �prepare a CIF
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �1.5 file for
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �many
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �useful cases by
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �doing all lists
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �with commas and
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �no embedded
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �blanks
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �as long as they
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �can make their
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �lists fit on
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �single lines.
>       � � � � � � � � � � � ��In CIF 1.1
>
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �[[1,2,3],[4,5,6],[7,8,9]]
>
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �is a valid value
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �for a tag, but
>
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �[[1 2 3] [4 5 6]
>       � � � � � � � � � � � �[7 8 9]]
>
>       is not.
> 
>
>       No, neither example is a valid CIF 1.1 tag.� CIF 1.1
>       explicitly excludes brackets as the first character
>       of a non-delimited string.
> 
>
>       � � � � � �Having the option of commas
>       � � � � � �in lists will help to smooth
>       � � � � � �the
>       � � � � � �transition for at least some
>       � � � � � �people.
> 
> 
>
>       --
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> 
> 
>
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> 
> 
>
>       --
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>       �
>       �____________________________________________________________________
>
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