[antlr-interest] what's in a name?

[Sam Barnett-Cormack]

Terence Parr wrote:
>> I love the "design pattern" element, as it is following the same feeling
>> as design patterns - and you'd hardly be the first to port the idea to
>> another domain.
> 
> yep :)
> 
>> I guess the problem is that "language design patterns" sounds like
>> you're designing languages.
> 
> yeah, it's ambiguous. we could add a hyphen but... ugly
> 
>> How about "Design Patterns for Language
>> Implementation", or are we *not* excluding langauge design, just wanting
>> to make sure it's clear that implementation is there as well?
> 
> Yeah, we sort of went that direction but something short. I really do 
> like the three word title. We are then doing the implementation stuff in 
> the subtitle at the moment. I guess that would be clear if the subtitle 
> has the implementation word.

Three words is a great idea, but I'd sooner see another book later that 
really *is* about designing DSLs, and there'd be concept confusion with 
titles. It's awkward. Language Design Patterns is a little snappier than 
Design Patterns for Language Implementation, I'll admit, and replacing 
language with more implementations-specific words like "parser" is bad 
as it changes the emphasis to sound like it's about ANTLR "under the 
hood". Of course, there's always that word - ANTLR.

Seriously, ANTLR Design Patterns, and then a subtitle much as you've 
already mentioned. Sure, people won't be as likely to pick it up if 
they're not aware of ANTLR, but not many who pick it up will fail to put 
it down if they don't know of ANTLR anyway, unless you sell it 
differently. The only sort of book that sold ANTLR to 
non-ANTLR-aware-people would be a real newbie-level type thing 
introducing all of the concepts in tutorial fashion (like the difference 
between O'Reilly 'Learning ~' books and '~ in a Nutshell' books - ANTLR 
Reference is like a Nutshell). Of course, now I'm selling a concept for 
a third book...

So I think ANTLR Design Patterns - Techniques and Strategies for 
Language Implementation. Add "Domain Specific" before "Language" if the 
publishers are so keen on the buzzwords. Where do you draw the line on a 
DSL anyway?

-- 
Sam Barnett-Cormack