| Date: Sun, 02 Jan 2005 22:36:56 -0800
 | From: Per Bothner <xxxxxx@bothner.com>
 |
 | bear wrote:
 |
 | > At this point I have only one question:  For a rank-5
 | > array, why #5A(...) instead of #A5(...)?
 |
 | Maybe #A5 is marginally better, but I think compatibility
 | with the prior art of Common Lisp argues for #5A.  That's
 | not an overwheming argument, but (I think) tips the scales
 | in favor of #5A.

Yes.

 | More technical argument: What happens with a rank-0 array?
 | In APL this is equivalent to a scalar, and in any case a
 | rank-0 array has a single element.  Given the choice
 | between #A0XXX and #0AXXX, the latter is better since the
 | former leads to ambiguities.

Good point.  In SCM:

 #0a237         ==> #0A 237

Our element sizes introduce a less severe ambiguity for rank=0:

"#0a:real-32237" chokes SCM, but "#0a:real-32 237" works.

Should we add that a delimiter must follow the #nA or #nA:typename
prefix?