!standard N(0)                                      20-12-09  AI12-0330-1/05
!class Amendment 19-04-05
!status Amendment 1-2012 19-05-09
!status ARG Approved 14-0-1  20-12-09
!status work item 20-11-20
!status ARG Approved 11-0-0  19-05-09
!status work item 19-04-05
!status received 19-03-08
!priority Low
!difficulty Easy
!subject Add items to the Glossary 
!summary

Various new and preexisting terms are added to the glossary.

!problem

We've defined a number of new concepts in Ada 2020, among them "parallel
constructs", "logical thread of control", "reduction", "default initial 
condition", and "stable property". At least some of these should be added to 
the Glossary.

!proposal

(See Summary.)

!wording

Modify 9(1/5) to italicize "logical thread of control":

The execution of an Ada program consists of the execution of one or more 
*tasks*. Each task represents a separable activity that proceeds independently 
and concurrently between the points where it *interacts* with other tasks. A 
single task, when within the context of a parallel construct, can represent
multiple *logical threads of control* which can proceed in parallel; in other 
contexts, each task represents one logical thread of control.


Add the following Glossary entries:

Accessibility level
An accessibility level is a representation of the lifetime of an entity in
terms of the level of dynamic nesting within which the entity is known to exist.
Given an access value that designates some object, the dynamic accessibility
checks prevent a dangling reference by ensuring that the accessibility level 
of the designated object is no deeper than that of the type of the access value.
Based on static nesting, there are corresponding legality rules that require
that the accessibility level of the designated object not be statically deeper
than that of the access type.

Aggregate
An aggregate is a construct used to define a value of a composite type by 
specifying the values of the components of the type.

Attribute
An attribute is a characteristic or property of an entity that can be queried,
and in some cases specified.

Container aggregate
A container aggregate is a construct used to define a value of a type that 
represents a collection of elements, by explicitly specifying the elements 
in the collection.

Check
A check is a test made during execution to determine whether a language rule 
has been violated.

Default Initial Condition
A default initial condition is a property that holds for every 
default-initialized object of a given type.

Iterator Filter
An iterator filter is a construct that is used to restrict the elements 
produced by an iteration to those for which a boolean condition evaluates
to True.

Logical Thread of Control
A logical thread of control is an activity within the execution of a program 
that can proceed in parallel with other activities of the same task, or of 
separate tasks.

Master
A master is the execution of certain constructs. Each object and task is 
associated with a master. When a master is left, associated objects are 
finalized and associated tasks are awaited.

Nominal subtype
The nominal subtype of a view of an object is the subtype specified when the 
view is defined.

Operational Aspect
An operational aspect is an aspect that indicates a logical property of an 
entity, such as the precondition of a subprogram, or the procedure used to 
write a given type of object to a stream.

Parallel Construct
A parallel construct is an executable construct that defines multiple 
activities of a single task that can proceed in parallel, via the execution
of multiple logical threads of control.

Reduction Expression
A reduction expression is an expression that defines how to map or transform a
collection of values into a new set of values, and then summarize the values 
by applying an operation to reduce the set to a single value.

Representation Aspect
A representation aspect is an aspect that indicates how an entity is mapped 
onto the underlying hardware, for example the size or alignment of an object.

Stable Property
A stable property is a characteristic associated with objects of a given type 
that is preserved by many of the primitive operations of the type.

Subunit
A subunit is a body of a program unit that can be compiled separately from its 
enclosing program unit.

Suppress
To suppress a check is to assert that the check cannot fail, and to request 
that the compiler optimize by disabling the check. The compiler is not 
required to honor this request. Suppressing checks that can fail can cause 
program to behave in arbitrary ways.

!discussion

We tried to cover the interesting new concepts, as well as some existing 
concepts that were not previously defined in the glossary.

We might want to verify that most of these terms also appear in the index.
At the moment, "logical thread of control" is not in the index.

!corrigendum 9(1/3)

@drepl
The execution of an Ada program consists of the execution of one or more 
@i<tasks>. Each task represents a separate thread of control that proceeds 
independently and concurrently between the points where it @i<interacts> with 
other tasks. The various forms of task interaction are described in this clause, 
and include: 
@dby
The execution of an Ada program consists of the execution of one or
more @i<tasks>. Each task represents a separable activity that proceeds 
independently and concurrently between the points where it @i<interacts> with 
other tasks. A single task, when within the context of a parallel construct, 
can represent multiple @i<logical threads of control> which can proceed in 
parallel; in other contexts, each task represents one logical thread of 
control.

!comment We're not bothering to make !corrigendum text for the glossary entries.

!ASIS

No ASIS effect.

!ACATS test

No ACATS tests needed.

!appendix

From: Randy Brukardt
Sent: Friday, March 8, 2019  7:39 PM

>Annex N I would like more items, such as Attribute, Check, Master, 
>Operational Aspect, Representation Aspect, Subunit, Suppress.  But I 
>think I had Annex N to review for Ada 2012 too and my request was 
>turned down then.

Some of those terms might be valuable, but I'd guess it would be even more 
useful to add some terms around parallel constructs, like say, "parallel 
construct" :-), "logical thread of control", and "reduction".

Do we have someone volunteering to propose some additional Glossary entries 
(including the definitions, silly :-)??

P.S. I believe that Jeff is away on "holiday", so we can't talk him into it 
today.

***************************************************************

From: Jeff Cousins
Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2019  8:49 PM

> You're right, of course, but we need Glossary entries for lots of things 
and I didn't get any volunteers when I asked last month.
 
Here’s a shot at the items that I suggested.  No doubt as everyone knows a 
bit about this everyone will comment.
 
Attribute
A characteristic or property of an entity that can be queried, and in some 
cases specified.  (I daren’t tackle how this overlaps with aspect!).

Check
A test made during execution that some unusual condition has not occurred.

Master
The execution of a construct that includes the finalisation of local objects 
(after completion but before leaving).

Operational Aspect
Aspects other than Representation Aspects.

Representation Aspect
An aspect that affects how an entity is mapped onto the underlying hardware, 
for example the size or alignment of an object.

Subunit
A body that can be compiled separately from its embracing library unit. (Only 
GNAT doesn’t ? ).

Suppress
To turn off a run-time check.

***************************************************************

From: Randy Brukardt
Sent: Thursday, April 4, 2019  8:49 PM

Great, but that doesn't include anything NEW, which seems to be the most 
critical need.

Ed asked for "default initial condition", presumably because all of the other 
assertion contracts already have a glossary entry (and that was obvious in the 
text he was reviewing 

I had suggested at a minimum "parallel construct", "logical thread of 
control", and "reduction". There may be others.

P.S. I need to know where to place the entries as well. Glossary entries are 
actually given in as AARM notes next to the formal definition (scattered about 
the Standard); the tools make the actual annex at the end. Side thought: it's 
a bit annoying that the information about the location of the formal definition 
isn't displayed in the glossary, since that wouldn't be very hard to do, at 
least in non-ISO editions.

***************************************************************

From: Randy Brukardt
Sent: Friday, April 5, 2019  11:02 PM

...
>Here’s a shot at the items that I suggested.  No doubt as everyone 
>knows a bit about this everyone will comment.

So far this message has gotten the same response as the original call for a 
volunteer. I suppose that says something too.
	 
...
>Master
>
>The execution of a construct that includes the finalisation of local 
>objects (after completion but before leaving).

We just had a long discussion of 's' vs. 'z' in "finalization". Hope we don't 
have another one. :-)

>Operational Aspect
>Aspects other than Representation Aspects.

Not strictly true, there are a few that aren't officially classed as either. 
If they have enough rules (like "Pre"), that doesn't matter. In any event, 
this is rather circular. It should say something about properties, as in 
13.1. Maybe:

An aspect that defines properties of an entity other than representation 
properties (see Representation Aspect).
	 
>Subunit
>A body that can be compiled separately from its embracing library unit.  
>(Only GNAT doesn’t ? ).

I'm pretty sure we can't put emojies into the Standard; probably can't refer 
to GNAT either. ;-)

***************************************************************

From: Jeff Cousins
Sent: Saturday, April 6, 2019  3:49 AM

>>The execution of a construct that includes the finalisation of local objects 
>>(after completion but before leaving).

>We just had a long discussion of 's' vs. 'z' in "finalization". Hope we don't 
have another one. :-)
 
I’d deliberately typed ‘z’ in deference to my American colleagues, but the 
spell-checker must have auto-corrected it.

***************************************************************

From: Jeff Cousins
Sent: Saturday, April 6, 2019  12:04 PM

> Great, but that doesn't include anything NEW, which seems to be the 
> most critical need.
 
I actually see the newer terms as being less important as they're for the more 
advanced users, whereas some of the older terms are building blocks for how 
Ada views the world, and should have been in the glossary years ago.

I would prefer the authors of the relevant AIs to state their intended 
meaning rather than me potentially second-guessing them, but I've had a go at 
a few of them.

> Glossary entries are actually given in as AARM notes next to the formal 
> definition 
 
I’m hoping that the glossary terms are more user-friendly than the sometimes 
convoluted words of the formal definition.

Attribute

A characteristic or property of an entity that can be queried, and in some 
cases specified. (First defined in 4.1.4).

 
Check
A test made during execution that some unusual condition has not occurred.
(These are mentioned all over the place, but the place to talk about them in 
general rather than specific checks looks to be 11 Exceptions).

 
Default Initial Condition
A condition that must hold true after the default initialization of an object. 
(Defined in 7.3.3 (2.a/5).

Logical Thread of Control
To paraphrase Wikipedia:
The smallest sequence of programmed instructions that can be scheduled 
independently.
(This is the successor to Task as the lowest level concurrent entity for most 
purposes, but Task wasn't defined in the Glossary either.
If we are going to define it, presumably it should go in 9 - 5.1 says see 9 
for a definition, but there isn't (yet) a definition there).

Master
The execution of a construct that includes the finalization of local objects 
(after completion but before leaving).
(Defined in 7.6.1).

Operational Aspect
An aspect that defines properties of an entity other than representation 
properties (see Representation Aspect).
(Defined in 13.1).

Parallel Construct
A parallel construct is a construct that introduces additional logical threads 
of control without creating a new task. Parallel loops and parallel block 
statements are examples of parallel constructs.
(Defined in 5.1).

Reduction Expression
A reduction expression maps or transforms a collection of values into a new 
set of values, and then summarizes the values produced by applying an 
operation to reduce the set to a single value result.
(Defined in 4.5.10).

Representation Aspect
An aspect that affects how an entity is mapped onto the underlying hardware, 
for example the size or alignment of an object.
(Defined in 13.1).

Subunit
A body that can be compiled separately from its embracing library unit.
(Defined in 10.1.3).
 
Suppress
To turn off a run-time check.
(Defined in 10.5).

***************************************************************

From: Tucker Taft
Sent: Tuesday, May 7, 2019  4:02 PM

Enjoy! [Followed by version /01 of the AI - Editor.]

***************************************************************

From: Randy Brukardt
Sent: Tuesday, May 7, 2019  4:18 PM

...
> We might want to verify that most of these terms also appear in the 
> index.
> At the moment, "logical thread of control" is not in the index.

It's not in the index because it is never defined in the Standard. It's used
a lot, but there is nothing resembling a definition in either Chapter 5 or 9.
So what would the index entry point to??

In general, it is helpful if one points out where each of these glossary items 
is defined (each entry appears in the AARM at that point, the actual glossary 
is a constructed entity).

***************************************************************

From: Jeff Cousins
Sent: Wednesday, May 7, 2019  5:49 AM

This was my list of where terms are defined:

Attribute
A characteristic or property of an entity that can be queried, and in some 
cases specified.
(First defined in 4.1.4).

Check
A test made during execution that some unusual condition has not occurred.
(These are mentioned all over the place, but the place to talk about them 
in general rather than specific checks looks to be 11 Exceptions).

Default Initial Condition
A condition that must hold true after the default initialization of an object. 
(Defined in 7.3.3 (2.a/5).

Logical Thread of Control
To paraphrase Wikipedia:
The smallest sequence of programmed instructions that can be scheduled 
independently.
(This is the successor to Task as the lowest level concurrent entity for most 
purposes, but Task wasn't defined in the Glossary either.

If we are going to define it, presumably it should go in 9 - 5.1 says see 9 
for a definition, but there isn't (yet) a definition there).

Master
The execution of a construct that includes the finalization of local objects 
(after completion but before leaving).
(Defined in 7.6.1).

Operational Aspect
An aspect that defines properties of an entity other than representation 
properties (see Representation Aspect).
(Defined in 13.1).

Parallel Construct
A parallel construct is a construct that introduces additional logical threads 
of control without creating a new task. Parallel loops and parallel block 
statements are examples of parallel constructs.
(Defined in 5.1).

Reduction Expression
A reduction expression maps or transforms a collection of values into a new 
set of values, and then summarizes the values produced by applying an 
operation to reduce the set to a single value result.
(Defined in 4.5.10).

Representation Aspect
An aspect that affects how an entity is mapped onto the underlying hardware, 
for example the size or alignment of an object.
(Defined in 13.1).

Subunit
A body that can be compiled separately from its embracing library unit.
(Defined in 10.1.3).

Suppress
To turn off a run-time check.
(Defined in 10.5).

***************************************************************

From: Tucker Taft
Sent: Wednesday, May 7, 2019  8:19 AM

> ...
>> We might want to verify that most of these terms also appear in the 
>> index.
>> At the moment, "logical thread of control" is not in the index.
> 
> It's not in the index because it is never defined in the Standard. 
> It's used a lot, but there is nothing resembling a definition in 
> either Chapter 5 or 9. So what would the index entry point to??

I think it can still be useful to index all *uses* of a term, even if it isn't 
felt necessary to have an Ada-specific definition of the term in the RM.

> In general, it is helpful if one points out where each of these 
> glossary items is defined (each entry appears in the AARM at that 
> point, the actual glossary is a constructed entity.

Sorry, I didn't know about that requirement.  I presume you figured that out.
If not, it looks like Jeff might have done the work.

***************************************************************

From: Randy Brukardt
Sent: Wednesday, May 7, 2019  2:13 PM

> > It's not in the index because it is never defined in the Standard. 
> > It's used a lot, but there is nothing resembling a definition in 
> > either Chapter 5 or 9. So what would the index entry point to??
> 
> I think it can still be useful to index all *uses* of a term, even if 
> it isn't felt necessary to have an Ada-specific definition of the term 
> in the RM.

The index, in general, does not index uses of a term. There are a few special
cases where that is done (generally where the property is important to 
users/implementers, like "implementation-defined" or "inconsistent"). And even 
in those cases, there is an actual definition that is indexed first.

There is no definition of any sort (even informal) in the RM; this glossary 
entry is the first attempt at it. I suppose the glossary entry will get 
indexed (I think that happens automatically), so perhaps that is good enough 
(unless someone wants to take another swing at revising the intro to 
Chapter 9).

***************************************************************

From: Randy Brukardt
Sent: Thursday, May 16, 2019  11:36 PM

We added a definition of "Container Aggregate" in this AI:

Container Aggregate
A construct used to define a value of a type that represents a collection of 
elements, by explicitly specifying the elements in the collection.

but there's no definition of Aggregate by itself. That's rather weird. I 
created one by borrowing the introduction to 4.3:

Aggregate
A construct used to define a value of a composite type that by specifying the 
values of the components of the type.

Neither this definition nor the one in 4.3 really tries to allow for container 
aggregates, but neither are outright wrong, either, so I'm not going to worry 
about that.

If any one has an objection (or improvement), please speak up (I've already 
made this change).

***************************************************************

From: Gary Dismukes
Sent: Thursday, May 16, 2019  11:46 PM

I suggest deleting the word "that" from the definition of Aggregate. ;-)

Otherwise, both definitions seem OK.

***************************************************************

From: Randy Brukardt
Sent: Friday, May 17, 2019  12:25 AM

Gotcha.

***************************************************************

From: Brad Moore
Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2020  4:53 PM

[Part of his AARM review - Editor.]

7.6.1 Completion and Finalization
----------------------------------

In AARM 3.c.1/5, it is unclear what term is associated with the glossary entry.
We should be consistent with other entries, which start by mentioning the term.

3.c.1/5
"Glossary entry: {A master is the}[The] execution of a construct that 
includes waiting for tasks and finalization of objects associated with the 
master, prior to leaving the construct."

***************************************************************

From: Randy Brukardt
Sent: Wednesday, November 4, 2020  11:08 PM

None of the new glossary entries were written in this form (see Annex N).
Perhaps they should have been, but I don't see much point in changing only one, 
and the reviewer of the Glossary (Tullio) didn't complain. The AARM note 
glossary entries don't have much value, and are just a left-over of the way
the Ada 95 tools were put together.

If you want to propose a replacement for AI12-0330-1, please do.

***************************************************************

From: Brad Moore
Sent: Thursday, November 5, 2020  5:35 PM

Its not too important to me either, just that I think it might be confusing for
the reader, in general, to not mention the term that is being defined.

If others want to chime in that agree with my suggestion for the glossary 
entries, I'd be happy to work on a replacement for AI12-0330-1. If nobody feels 
this is necessary, I'm OK with withdrawing my comment. 

***************************************************************

From: Tucker Taft
Sent: Thursday, November 5, 2020  6:24 PM

I would agree that it is confusing to have a glossary entry in the AARM 
without an obvious subject.

***************************************************************

From: Jeff Cousins
Sent: Friday, November 6, 2020  3:01 AM

I am very keen that we should have more glossary entries and that they should 
be in a straightforward "An xyz is a ..." form. I find some of the definitions 
in the RM, such as nominal subtype, too oblique for my understanding.

***************************************************************

From: Randy Brukardt
Sent: Friday, November 6, 2020  6:37 PM

>I am very keen that we should have more glossary entries and that they 
>should be in a straightforward "An xyz is a ..." form.

Ahem, most of the glossary entries in AI12-0330-1 were provided by some guy 
named Jeff Cousins (see !appendix, mail of May 7, 2019) and they're not in 
that form. Perhaps I should have noticed that they were not quite like the 
older entries, but I can't think of *everything*.

>I find some of the definitions in the RM, such as nominal subtype, too 
>oblique for my understanding.

Go right ahead and propose additional glossary entries. I don't think it hurts 
to have more of those (not sure how many people use the Glossary, but even if 
it is only a handful, it's probably worth improving).

Perhaps coordinate with Brad.

***************************************************************

From: Jeff Cousins
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2020  2:27 PM

Mmm...

Mechanically making changes, the new definitions would be:

Aggregate
A{n aggregate is a} construct used to define a value of a composite type by 
specifying the values of the components of the type.
 
Attribute
A{n attribute is a} characteristic or property of an entity that can be 
queried, and in some cases specified.
 
Check
A{ check is a} test made during execution to determine whether a language rule 
has been violated.
 
Default Initial Condition
A{ default initial condition is a} property that holds for every 
default-initialized object of a given type.
 
Iterator Filter
A{n iterator filter is a} construct that is used to restrict the elements 
produced by an iteration to those for which a boolean condition evaluates to 
True.
 
Logical Thread of Control
A{ logical thread of control is a}n activity within the execution of a program 
that can proceed in parallel with other activities of the same task, or of 
separate tasks.
 
Master
{A master is t}[T]he execution of a construct that includes waiting for tasks 
and finalization of objects associated with the master, prior to leaving the 
construct.
 
Operational Aspect
A{n operational aspect is a}n aspect that indicates a logical property of an 
entity, such as the precondition of a subprogram, or the procedure used to 
write a given type of object to a stream.
 
Parallel Construct
A{ parallel construct is a}n executable construct that defines multiple 
activities of a single task that can proceed in parallel, via the execution 
of multiple logical threads of control.
 
Reduction Expression
A{ reduction expression is a}n expression that defines how to map or 
transform a collection of values into a new set of values, and then summarize 
the values by applying an operation to reduce the set to a single value.
 
Representation Aspect
A{ representation aspect is a}n aspect that indicates how an entity is mapped 
onto the underlying hardware, for example the size or alignment of an object.
 
Stable Property
A{ stable property is a} characteristic associated with objects of a given 
type that is preserved by many of the primitive operations of the type.
 
Subunit
A{ subunit is a} body that can be compiled separately from its enclosing 
program unit.
 
Suppress
To{ suppress is to} turn off a run-time check.
 

For nominal subtype,  I suppose something like:

“The nominal subtype of an object is the effective subtype after supplying 
any range constraints (for an unconstrained array subtype) or discriminants
(if not defaulted) at the time the object is declared.”

though I’ve tripped over the meaning of nominal subtype so many times, that’s 
why I’d like someone else to define it.

***************************************************************

From: Tucker Taft
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2020  2:46 PM

>For nominal subtype,  I suppose something like:
>
>“The nominal subtype of an object is the effective subtype after supplying 
>any range constraints (for an unconstrained array subtype) or discriminants
>(if not defaulted) at the time the object is declared.”

Hmmm... That doesn't match my personal definition.

>though I’ve tripped over the meaning of nominal subtype so many times, that’s 
>why I’d like someone else to define it.

Let me try;

  The nominal subtype of a view of an object is the subtype specified when the 
  view is defined.

***************************************************************

From: Jeff Cousins
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2020  3:26 PM

Thanks Tuck.

I was thinking, probably incorrectly, that in:

type Vector is array (Integer range <>) of Float;
Object : Vector (1 .. 3);

the nominal subtype of Object is:

array (Integer range 1 .. 3) of Float;

***************************************************************

From: Tucker Taft
Sent: Saturday, November 14, 2020  8:06 AM

No, the nominal subtype is simply "Vector(1..3)".  I am curious what gave you 
the impression it was more complicated than that.

***************************************************************

From: Jeff Cousins
Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2020  7:22 AM

Oh, it’s my misunderstanding, “nominal” can mean several things, such as all’s 
well for a rocket launch, but I when I hear the word it’s normally in a 
pejorative context where something is masquerading as something else.

What would you call the anonymous subtype

array (Integer range 1 .. 3) of Float;

in my example?

***************************************************************

From: Tucker Taft
Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2020  7:40 AM

>Oh, it’s my misunderstanding, “nominal” can mean several things, such as all’s 
>well for a rocket launch, but I when I hear the word it’s normally in a 
>pejorative context where something is masquerading as something else.

Interesting.  We used the term in contrast with "actual" -- the nominal subtype 
is the subtype "named" in the declaration, whereas for a composite object, the
*actual* subtype might be something else (more constrained than the nominal 
subtype).  But you are right, in many contexts the term "nominal" means 
trivially small, or a potentially misleading use of some other term (e.g.
"The decision was nominally independent but ...").

>What would you call the anonymous subtype
>
>array (Integer range 1 .. 3) of Float;
>
>in my example?

Good question.  I suppose it would be "an anonymous array subtype that has the 
same component subtype and index constraint as the named array subtype."  I 
don't know of any use of such a notion in Ada.  You can convert from such an
anonymous subtype to the given named subtype, but there are many anonymous 
subtypes that are convertible to the given named subtype, because array 
conversion permits sliding as well as a change in the type of the index.  In 
any case, that anonymous subtype has no connection with the notion of 
"nominal" subtype.

***************************************************************

From: Bob Duff
Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2020  9:42 AM

I think the "masquerading"/"misleading" meaning is correct. When you say

    X : String := "Hello";

it looks like the subtype of X is String, but that's fake news.
The subtype of X is *actually* String(1..5).

***************************************************************

From: Randy Brukardt
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2020  5:17 PM

>Master
>{A master is t}[T]he execution of a construct that includes waiting for tasks 
>and finalization of objects associated with the master, prior to leaving the 
>construct.

This definition seems circular(as it mentions master in it) and is more 
confusing than helpful. When it starts talking about an execution, it makes
it seem like these are fully dynamic things that can occur anywhere, while 
in fact they are associated with particular syntactic constructs. So I view
them as a "thing" that gets entered and left related to the execution of 
particular constructs.

That's important since most of the uses (accessibility, finalization) describe 
a master as a thing, not an execution. It would be extremely confusing to 
refer to a master as a kind of verb.

Maybe something more like:

   A master is entered and left by the execution of particular constructs. 
   Each object and task is associated with a master. When a master is left,
   associated tasks are awaited and objects finalized.

***************************************************************

From: Jean-Pierre Rosen
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2020  11:57 PM

Hmmm... This does not say what a master /is/. Maybe:

A master is an executable construct or entity. Each object and task is 
associated with a master. When a master is left, associated tasks are 
awaited and objects finalized.

("construct or entity" comes from 7.6.1(3/2))

***************************************************************

From: Tullio Vardanega
Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2020  2:15 AM

This one def works for me.

***************************************************************

From: Jeff Cousins
Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2020  12:17 PM

I’m happy for it to be reworded as it’s not obvious.  Personally I prefer 
JPR’s proposal to Randy’s as it is a straightforward “A master is ...” rather
than a description of what happens to a master.

For the record:

My original words were derived from Ada 2012 TC 1 7.6.1 (1), which says:

A master is the execution of a construct that includes finalization of local 
objects after it is complete (and after waiting for any local tasks ...)

which I think is where the confusion that Randy talks about begins.

My proposal of 2019/05/07 was:

Master
The execution of a construct that includes the finalization of local objects 
(after completion but before leaving).
 
Annex N of Ada 202x draft 26, presumably an edit of this, says:

Master.
The execution of a construct that includes waiting for tasks and finalization 
of objects associated with the master, prior to leaving the construct.

Randy’s proposal of 2020/11/11 says:

A master is entered and left by the execution of particular constructs. Each 
object and task is associated with a master. When a master is left, associated
tasks are awaited and objects finalized.

JPR then proposed:

A master is an executable construct or entity. Each object and task is
associated with a master. When a master is left, associated tasks are
awaited and objects finalized.

***************************************************************

From: Randy Brukardt
Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2020  12:39 PM

One would hope that a glossary entry was clearer than the formal definition, 
not just a direct restating of it. If someone has trouble understanding the 
definition, they might turn to the glossary for help -- repeating the same 
words will not give any help.

J-P's definition is fine by me.

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From: Tucker Taft
Sent: Thursday, November 12, 2020  1:03 PM

> One would hope that a glossary entry was clearer than the formal definition, 
> not just a direct restating of it. If someone has trouble understanding the 
> definition, they might turn to the glossary for help -- repeating the same 
> words will not give any help.

Perhaps, but saying something completely different doesn't really help either.
My sense is the glossary is mostly just capturing the definitions that are 
already in the RM, but in a central place.  I don't think we need to work too
hard to expand the definition, if the RM one is fairly clear.

> J-P's definition is fine by me.

Fine by me as well.

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From: Randy Brukardt
Sent: Friday, November 20, 2020  9:47 PM

It would have helped if you had started with the actual text in AI12-0330-1 
rather than your original proposal. Some of these were changed quite a bit by
ARG discussion! In particular, the definition of Suppress is nothing like what
you have below [see Jeff's message of November 11th above in this 
summary - Editor]. And you're missing "container aggregate" completely. Grumble.
 
(Yes, I did update the AI and RM with these changes, as well as the others 
discussed.)
 
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From: Jeff Cousins
Sent: Monday, November 23, 2020  3:54 AM

Ok I missed out container aggregate and somehow didn’t use the latest 
definition of Suppress, but everything else should be taken from the latest
draft available online, not my original proposal.

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From: Brad Moore
Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 2020  10:59 PM

I like the changes and the general approach that Jeff has proposed, after 
taking into account the items that Randy caught. It sounds like Randy has 
already incorporated these changes, which makes sense, since the proposed 
changes are pretty simple.

Does that mean there is no homework outstanding for this AI?

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From: Randy Brukardt
Sent: Wednesday, November 25, 2020  10:34 PM

Correct. Of course, you're welcome to propose any other changes you might 
think are needed.

I found one needed change given another wording change that's in the hopper.
More on that once Steve gets back from vacation and can review it to ensure 
that it fixes his concern.

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