TIP #131: READ MY MIND AND DO WHAT I MEAN 
===========================================
 Version:      $Revision: 1.2 $
 Author:       Joe English <jenglish_at_flightlab.com>
 State:        Draft
 Type:         Project
 Tcl-Version:  8.5
 Vote:         No voting
 Created:      Tuesday, 01 April 2003
 URL:          https://tip.tcl-lang.org131.html
 Post-History: 

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 ABSTRACT 
==========

 A new Tcl command is proposed, /rmmadwim/. This is an acronym for 
 ``Read My Mind and Do What I Mean/. This command has obvious utility. 

 SPECIFICATION 
===============

 The /rmmadwim/ command shall take no arguments. When invoked, the Tcl 
 interpreter shall read the programmer's mind and do what he or she 
 intends. 

 /NOTE:/ It is very important that /rmmadwim/ read the /programmer's/ 
 mind, not the end user's. Otherwise the consequences could be 
 disastrous, since end users rarely have a firm grasp of what the 
 original programmer was up to. 

 As a consequence of this command, there is also a corresponding 
 function for /expr/ which applies the same principles to general 
 mathematical computation: 

     set result [expr {rmmadwim()}]

 This extra functionality is easy to enable: 

     rmmadwim

 RATIONALE 
===========

 What Tcl needs in order to succeed in the marketplace is a feature that 
 no other programming language provides, a "killer app" as it were. The 
 Tk toolkit, Expect, cross-platform portability, scripted documents, 
 tkcon, and the [incr Tcl] "toaster" example are all well and good, but 
 they have clearly failed to push Tcl usage to the point of having 
 critical mass. The /rmmadwim/ command would provide a powerful enough 
 incentive that even Perl programmers would be compelled to switch 
 languages. 

 REFERENCE IMPLEMENTATION 
==========================

 A skeletal implementation is included below. Clearly some of the 
 details remain to be flushed out, but this is a simple matter of 
 programming (SMOP). It should be a fun weekend project for Richard 
 Suchenwirth. 

 File: /tcl/generic/tclCmdMZ.c/ 

 Function: /Tcl_RmmAndDWIMObjCmd/ 

          /*ARGSUSED*/
      int
      Tcl_RmmAndDWIMObjCmd(dummy, interp, objc, objv)
          ClientData dummy;                   /* Not used. */
          Tcl_Interp *interp;                 /* Current interpreter. */
          int objc;                           /* Number of arguments. */
          Tcl_Obj *CONST objv[];              /* Argument objects. */
      {
          int status;
          Tcl_Obj *intentions;
   
          if (objc != 1) {
              Tcl_WrongNumArgs(interp, 1, objv, NULL);
              return TCL_ERROR;
          }
   
          status = TclReadProgrammersMind(interp, &intentions);
          if (status != TCL_OK) {
              return status;
          }
   
          status = TclDoWhatIsMeant(interp, intentions);
          return status;
      }

 SECURITY IMPLICATIONS 
=======================

 It was pointed out that the ability to read the programmers' mind 
 carries with it certain security and privacy implementations. 

 To address this, the following code should be executed whenever a safe 
 interpreter is created: 

      #
      # Query the programmer's mind to obtain his or her
      # P3P settings (See "Platform for Privacy Preferences",
      # <URL: http://www.w3.org/P3P >)
      #
          rmmadwim
   
      #
      # Disable any internal commands that are in conflict
      # with those settings:
      #
          rmmadwim

 In addition, the Tcl release notes should give a clear indication to 
 programmers about the new security implications for non-Safe 
 interpreters. 

 COPYRIGHT 
===========

 This TIP is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify it 
 under the terms of the GNU General Public License; either version 2 of 
 the License, or (at Richard Stallman's discretion), any later version. 

 Just kidding. Public domain, as usual. 

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