Re: multiple variable reference

[Harald Hanche-Olsen <hanche@math.ntnu.no>]

+ (Paul Haahr):

| as i've noted to the list, the next version of es will have multiple
| variable assignment.  that is,
| 
| 	(x y z) = 1 2 3 4
| 
| is the same as
| 
| 	x = 1
| 	y = 2
| 	z = 3 4

That was written in June 1993.  Thus, it only took me nine years and a
few months to discover a really useful side effect of this change:

; for ((x y)=a b c d e f) echo $x $y
a b
c d
e f

Yes, for the past 9 years it has been *trivial* to process a list by
twos, and I didn't find out until now.

The other reason I am writing is for the novelty value of replying to
a message more than nine years old.  8-)  Also, it's useful to have a
little traffic on the list now and then, lest people think that es is
dead.  It is not.

- Harald