Well-defined name-resolution and scope-handling

[Kroc]

I'd like to request that for the next major version release that a consistent and robust name-resolution/scope system is created to solve the increasing problems with namespaces combining with other features. I.e. what is needed is a logical, consistent naming scheme that ensures that the same label-parsing code can be used in any context and can resolve to any other label, regardless of starting or ending namespace and other features.

I'd like to propose that the first thing to be canonicalised is a way to identify namespace names at all times via a unique prefix/suffix. A suffix would be more compatible with existing code but a prefix would make parsing much easier.

For example, any label-part ending with a colon is a namespace name, so foo:bar would indicate the label bar in relative-namespace foo. Alternatively this could be :foo.bar if a prefix was to be used.

Absolute and relative namespace references would also need to be possible anywhere a label can appear. As has been defined before *: would force an absolute reference to the global namespace. Stacking colons could be used to refer to a 'parent' namespace without knowing its name, e.g. ::above would reference label above from the parent namespace, be this either another namespace, or the global namespace.