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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by ARAJ (talk | contribs) at 14:01, 31 January 2007. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Explicit list of languages

I disagree to the removal of the explicit list of specification languages made by Allan McInnes. For example, if I want to find the link from the present page to the Common Algebraic Specification Language, I have to click onto the category "Specification languages" and then on the subcategory "Formal specification languages". This is a way of hiding the examples. --Tillmo 17:37, 2 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, it's a way of preventing the article from turning into a big list which duplicates information already found in the category pages. If you want to actually use CASL as an example within the text of the article (perhaps describing the difference between algebraic specification languages and other formal specification languages), that's fine. But a big list of languages will come to dominate the article, while duplicating the category information. --Allan McInnes (talk) 22:35, 2 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]
A valid argument that rests on a false premise. Not all the languages in the list have associated articles, so they cannot be duplicated in the category pages. Furthermore, not all those languages with articles have an appropriate category on their page, so these are also not duplicated on the category pages. The deleted list is appended for information. Views on how to move forward are awaited. --ARAJ 17:27, 30 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
My view on how to move forward:
  • If a language article doesn't have appropriate categories, then add them.
  • If a language doesn't have an associated article, and the language is notable, then create an article for it.
  • Cover non-notable languages by providing an external link to a site which is more appropriate for listing every specification language (Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of information).
Wikipedia articles are generally supposed to be more prose than lists. If you want to create some kind of master list of specification languages, then I'd prefer to see it in a separate article from this one. But I personally don't think such a list is really appropriate for an encyclopedia. --Allan McInnes (talk) 05:25, 31 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I broadly agree with you. Not being an expert on the subject, I would have difficulty translating thes principles into action, however. Adding categories to existing articles was my initial instinct, but I fell at the first hurdle: the article on Actor Model didn't convince me that it was a Specification Language, let alone enable me to determine whether it was "Formal".
I'm less happy about creating new articles as mere stubs with a category. Your point about notability is well made. But is there not a danger we might end up with an article about non-notable specification languages, which strikes me as a rather unsatisfactory outcome, particularly if it turns out to be a simple list? I think I would prefer an outcome where the most significant languages and types of language are referred to in the main article and other notable languages or types are referred to in a "See Also" section. I wonder whether it might be appropriate to include links within this section to non-notable languages as well? Or would it be better to have text-only references? Or a separate section?--ARAJ 14:01, 31 January 2007 (UTC)[reply]
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