NetBeans support for proposed small language extensions

[Charles Oliver Nutter]

Rémi Forax wrote:
> I have no problem with the patch that allow javac to emit invokedynamic
> bytecode. I am even a strong supporter of this patch.
> 
> I have more doubts with the patch that allow exotic identifiers.

I suppose this is where a standardization process comes in handy :)

I'm not sure there's a way to reconcile multiple proposed Java languages 
changes that all want to use #. We have precious few symbols on a 
standard keyboard. One criteria might be the likelihood of a proposal 
making it into Java 7; that would mean indy gets to use # for tooling 
purposes. But indy doesn't also include Java language changes, does it? 
So this would only be a third-party extension to javac, not standard in 
the language.

I personally like the # for dynamic dispatch quite a bit since multiple 
dynlangs use it to identify methods (Rubyists frequently refer to 
methods like String#to_s).

It does occur to me that these various uses may be basically the same. 
Perhaps # with an identifier and no () would be your property syntax or 
BGGA method reference syntax (perhaps eventually to be method handle 
syntax?) and # with an identifier and () would be invocation syntax?

- Charlie