[spec update] spec updates to refine the target of this proposal

Author: Dustin Savery

README.md

@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ Current Stage:
 ## Authors
 * Claude Pache (@claudepache)
 * Gabriel Isenberg (@the_gisenberg)
+* Dustin Savery (@dustinsavery)
 
 ## Overview and motivation
 When looking for a property value that's deep in a tree-like structure, one often has to check whether intermediate nodes exist:
@@ -29,19 +30,6 @@ var street = user.address?.street
 var fooValue = myForm.querySelector('input[name=foo]')?.value
 ```
 
-The call variant of Optional Chaining is useful for dealing with interfaces that have optional methods:
-
-```js
-iterator.return?.() // manually close an iterator
-```
-or with methods not universally implemented:
-```js
-if (myForm.checkValidity?.() === false) { // skip the test in older web browsers
-    // form validation fails
-    return;
-}
-```
-
 ## Prior Art
 The following languages implement the operator with the same general semantics as this proposal (i.e., 1) guarding against a null base value, and 2) short-circuiting application to the whole chain):
 * C#: [Null-conditional operator](https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn986595.aspx) — null-conditional member access or index, in read access.
@@ -58,7 +46,6 @@ The Optional Chaining operator is spelled `?.`. It may appear in three positions
 ```javascript
 obj?.prop       // optional static property access
 obj?.[expr]     // optional dynamic property access
-func?.(...args) // optional function or method call
 ```
 
 ### Notes
@@ -67,7 +54,7 @@ func?.(...args) // optional function or method call
 ## Semantics
 
 ### Base case
-If the operand at the left-hand side of the `?.` operator evaluates to undefined or null, the expression evaluates to undefined. Otherwise the targeted property access, method or function call is triggered normally.
+If the operand at the left-hand side of the `?.` operator evaluates to undefined or null, the expression returns undefined or null respectively. Otherwise the targeted property is accessed normally.
 
 Here are basic examples, each one followed by its desugaring. (The desugaring is not exact in the sense that the LHS should be evaluated only once.)
 ```js
@@ -80,10 +67,6 @@ a == null ? undefined : a[x]
 a?.b()                        // undefined if `a` is null/undefined
 a == null ? undefined : a.b() // throws a TypeError if `a.b` is not a function
                               // otherwise, evaluates to `a.b()`
-
-a?.()                        // undefined if `a` is null/undefined
-a == null ? undefined : a()  // throws a TypeError if `a` is neither null/undefined, nor a function
-                             // invokes the function `a` otherwise
 ```
 
 ### Short-circuiting
@@ -97,7 +80,7 @@ a == null ? undefined : a[++x]
 
 ### Long short-circuiting
 
-In fact, short-circuiting, when triggered, skips not only the current property access, method or function call, but also the whole chain of property accesses, method or function calls directly following the Optional Chaining operator.
+In fact, short-circuiting, when triggered, skips not only the current property access, but also the whole chain of property accesses directly following the Optional Chaining operator.
 
 ```js
 a?.b.c(++x).d  // if `a` is null/undefined, evaluates to undefined. Variable `x` is not incremented.
@@ -116,8 +99,8 @@ Let’s call *Optional Chain* an Optional Chaining operator followed by a chain
 An Optional Chain may be followed by another Optional Chain.
 
 ```js
-a?.b[3].c?.(x).d
-a == null ? undefined : a.b[3].c == null ? undefined : a.b[3].c(x).d
+a?.b[3].c?.d(x)
+a == null ? undefined : a.b[3].c == null ? undefined : a.b[3].c.d(x)
   // (as always, except that `a` and `a.b[3].c` are evaluated only once)
 ```
 
@@ -134,37 +117,22 @@ That follows from the design choice of specifying the scope of short-circuiting
 
 Note that, whatever the semantics are, there is no practical reason to use parentheses in that position anyway.
 
-### Optional deletion
-
-Because the `delete` operator is very liberal in what it accepts, we have that feature for free:
-```js
-delete a?.b
-// delete (a == null ? undefined : a.b) // that *would* work if `? :` could return a Reference...
-a == null ? undefined : delete a.b      // this is what we get, really
-```
-
 ## Not supported
 
-Although they could be included for completeness, the following are not supported due to lack of real-world use cases or other compelling reasons; see [Issue # 22](https://github.com/tc39/proposal-optional-chaining/issues/22) and [Issue #54](https://github.com/tc39/proposal-optional-chaining/issues/54) for discussion:
+Although they could be included for completeness, the following are not supported due to complexity, lack of real-world use cases, or other compelling reasons:
 
+* optional function execution: `a?.()`
 * optional construction: `new a?.()`
 * optional template literal: ``a?.`{b}` ``
 * constructor or template literals in/after an Optional Chain: `new a?.b()`, ``a?.b`{c}` ``
-
-The following is not supported, although it has some use cases; see [Issue #18](//github.com/tc39/proposal-optional-chaining/issues/18) for discussion:
-
-* optional property assignment: `a?.b = c`
+* optional assignment: `a?.b?.c = x`
 
 All the above cases will be forbidden by the grammar or by static semantics so that support might be added later.
 
 ## FAQ
 
-[TODO: to be completed. In particular, discuss specific criticisms around long short-circuiting.]
-
-
 <dl>
 
-
 <dt>obj?.[expr]  and  func?.(arg)  look ugly. Why not use  obj?[expr]  and  func?(arg)  as does &lt;language X>?
 
 <dd>
@@ -174,22 +142,10 @@ We don’t use the `obj?[expr]` and `func?(arg)` syntax, because of the difficul
 Alternative syntaxes for those two cases each have their own flaws; and deciding which one looks the least bad is mostly a question of personal taste. Here is how we made our choice:
 
 * pick the best syntax for the `obj?.prop` case, which is expected to occur most often;
-* extend the use of the recognisable `?.` sequence of characters to other cases: `obj?.[expr]`, `func?.(arg)`.
+* extend the use of the recognisable `?.` sequence of characters to other cases: `obj?.[expr]`.
 
 As for &lt;language X>, it has different syntactical constraints than JavaScript because of &lt;some construct not supported by X or working differently in X>.
 
-
-
-<dt>Why does (null)?.b evaluate to undefined rather than null?
-
-<dd>
-
-Neither `a.b` nor `a?.b` is intended to preserve arbitrary information on the base object `a`, but only to give information about the property `"b"` of that object. If a property `"b"` is absent from `a`, this is reflected by `a.b === undefined` and `a?.b === undefined`.
-
-In particular, the value `null` is considered to have no properties; therefore, `(null)?.b` is undefined.
-
-
-
 <dt>Why do you want long short-circuiting?</dt>
 
 <dd>