[Oberon] SYSTEM Modules

[Paul Reed]

Hi Chris,

> I've ... been finding the numerous references to SYSTEM are
> interfering with ... readability. In an extreme case I have a module
> consisting of 45 statements which has 42 occurrences of the word SYSTEM!
> The
> next worst has 36 occurrences of SYSTEM in 47 statements. Consequently I'm
>  investigating if there is a better way of doing this.

I thought as a halfway-house and keeping with the spirit of the language
you might use WITH SYSTEM DO... but based on experience with Delphi I'm
not overly enamoured with WITH anyway, I wrote about that before.

Given that you are losing a lot of safety when using SYSTEM anyway, I'm
wondering if removing the requirement for SYSTEM is a step in the wrong
direction.  I'd like to see some of the code you think has readability
problems, bearing in mind that readability is in the eye of the beholder.
:)

Seriously of course, it's readability and comprehensibility to the *next*
programmer (e.g. the one who tries to change it) which typically matters. 
Maybe SYSTEM. ain't that bad.  I think in these days of entire function
prototypes not even fitting in Intellisense popups, we might want to have
some perspective here... :)

Cheers,
Paul