Re: Undefined variables returning nil

[William Sumner <prestonsumner@...>]

On Mar 20, 2013, at 2:41 AM, steve donovan <steve.j.donovan@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Wed, Mar 20, 2013 at 10:17 AM, Enrico Colombini <erix@erix.it> wrote:
>> Don't look at me: I use C when I want just that :-)
>> (and the "error-prone" concept is quite depending on context)
> 
> In many ways, Lua is the C of the dynamic languages: lean, fast and
> (occaisionally) mean.  In both cases you are expected to find your own
> batteries.

Perhaps I'm incorrect about target demographics. In the past, it's been publicly stated that Lua is intended for "non-professional programmers". I take this to mean hobbyists and newcomers, particularly end-users exposed to a scripting API or configuration format in an application. I've never gotten the impression that Lua is intended to be a C-like Wild West that punishes heavily for mistakes. For the most part, it's simple and easy to learn, which might be why I consider the lack of error-reporting for undefined variable accesses out-of-place in such a friendly language.

Preston