Feature #17640: allow // for comments

• Status: Rejected
• Assignee: -
• Target version: -

[foonlyboy (Eike Dierks)]

• ruby uses '#' for comments (from the sh heritage)
• js and css use '//' for comments (from the C++ heritage)

I'd like to discuss,
to allow '//' in ruby code for comments

Motivation:

• writing comments is good
• it's cumbersome to adapt the comments to the language currrently active

Impact:

Please check:

• '//' is not a token in ruby?
• there is no way to make a legal expression involving '//'?
• oops ... the empty regexp literal is //

This is where the things get complicated
in terms of full backwards compatibility.

But I think that can be done.
'//i' is a legal expression,
while '// i' never was?

Anyways, I just want to put this on for a first discussion.

[shan (Shannon Skipper)]

Like you mention, // is a Regexp literal, so it seems to me this would be a nonstarter since it'd break a ton of code. How would the parser know whether it's meant to be a Regexp or comment?

I've not found # cumbersome at all. It even saves typing a character! /s

[matz (Yukihiro Matsumoto)]

• Status changed from Open to Rejected

Yes, it's an empty regular expression. I don't think it's worth breaking many existing codes.
Actually, I once thought of an idea to use // as an operator and gave the idea up.

Matz.