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Re: Functional programming

From "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com>
Newsgroups comp.lang.python
References <B512F079-4F01-4865-BEF3-07DF94F21832@gmail.com><mailman.7612.1393810048.18130.python-list@python.org><4c7dbc57-eef9-4582-aecd-aac13a39b45f@googlegroups.com><mailman.7633.1393849247.18130.python-list@python.org><3b54a279-03a1-4a81-a428-ecad6eb16036@googlegroups.com><mailman.7641.1393855219.18130.python-list@python.org><216bb5f4-32c4-4f86-a9f4-1b0dd37a2a81@googlegroups.com><mailman.7644.1393856584.18130.python-list@python.org><0129a5b9-b85f-4ad5-b5e2-bfb2a48041d5@googlegroups.com><mailman.7647.1393858917.18130.python-list@python.org><5314bb96$0$29985$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com><mailman.7651.1393871851.18130.python-list@python.org><5315661c$0$2923$c3e8da3$76491128@news.astraweb.com><mailman.7695.1393913099.18130.python-list@python.org><53159540$0$2923$c3e8da3$76491128@news.astraweb.com><XzkRu.27$O_6.17@fx04.am4> <5315eec0$0$29985$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com>
Subject Re: Functional programming
Message-ID <fVDRu.1902$rC1.875@fx34.am4> (permalink)
Organization virginmedia.com
Date 2014-03-05 11:28 +0000

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"Steven D'Aprano" <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> wrote in message
news:5315eec0$0$29985$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com...
> On Tue, 04 Mar 2014 13:30:04 +0000, BartC wrote:

>> Isn't creating classes in Python similar to creating types elsewhere?
>
> Depends on the type: I suppose you can draw an analogy between records or
> structs and classes with no methods.
>
> But I'm not talking about creating types, I'm talking about type
> declarations.
>
> int x=2;  # 2 is an int? Who would have guessed!

Think of the int as a 'var' then:

var x=2;

Now you're just declaring the names. But writing 'var' as 'int' is exactly
the same amount of work.

However, in the sorts of languages that require you to describe types in
this much detail, then the exact kind of type can be important:
float/integer, signed/unsigned, short/long, character/numeric etc.

Especially when declaring an array or struct element, or a pointer; in these
cases, providing a sample value in initialisation data is more awkward (for
one thing, because you need to initialise the instance, whereas a struct is
usually declared separately as a type).

But I agree that in many cases, an initialised declaration *could* often be
used to infer the likely type without too much trouble:

var x=2     # integer
var y=3.0   # real
var z="A"   # probably, a C-style string pointer ('char*')

(And since I'm working on such a language at the moment, I felt obliged to
implement exactly this. And yes, with 10 minutes' effort, something like
this was working, to prove my assertion.

However it is not satisfactory, which is one reason why no well-established
static language is likely to adopt such a feature. It is just too untidy,
too ad-hoc and undisciplined, to say that usually you need to provide an
exact type, but sometimes, in such and such an instance, you don't need to
bother!)

-- 
Bartc

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Thread

Re: Functional programming Ned Batchelder <ned@nedbatchelder.com> - 2014-03-02 20:27 -0500
  Re: Functional programming Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2014-03-03 03:45 -0800
    Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-03 23:20 +1100
      Re: Functional programming Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2014-03-03 05:48 -0800
        Re: Functional programming Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2014-03-03 05:51 -0800
        Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-04 01:00 +1100
          Re: Functional programming Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2014-03-03 06:08 -0800
            Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-04 01:23 +1100
              Re: Functional programming Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2014-03-03 06:38 -0800
                Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-04 02:01 +1100
                Re: Functional programming Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2014-03-03 07:28 -0800
                Re: Functional programming Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2014-03-03 17:27 +0000
                Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-04 05:37 +1100
                Re: Functional programming Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2014-03-04 05:35 +0000
                Re: Functional programming Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2014-03-03 21:59 -0800
                Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-04 17:04 +1100
                Re: Functional programming Rustom Mody <rustompmody@gmail.com> - 2014-03-03 22:20 -0800
                Re: Functional programming Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2014-03-04 08:56 +0000
                Re: Functional programming Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2014-03-04 11:56 +0100
                Re: Functional programming Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2014-03-04 11:47 +0000
                Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-05 00:01 +1100
                OT Sine Rule [was Re: Functional programming] Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2014-03-04 14:25 +0000
                Re: OT Sine Rule [was Re: Functional programming] Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2014-03-04 08:37 -0600
                Re: OT Sine Rule [was Re: Functional programming] Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2014-03-04 14:42 +0000
                Re: OT Sine Rule [was Re: Functional programming] Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-05 02:06 +1100
                Re: OT Sine Rule [was Re: Functional programming] Tim Chase <python.list@tim.thechases.com> - 2014-03-04 09:21 -0600
                Re: Functional programming Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2014-03-05 09:59 +0100
                Re: Functional programming Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2014-03-04 21:49 +0200
                Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-05 07:01 +1100
                Re: Functional programming Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2014-03-04 22:50 +0200
                Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-05 08:06 +1100
                Re: Functional programming Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2014-03-04 23:21 +0200
                Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-05 08:26 +1100
                Re: Functional programming Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2014-03-04 23:43 +0200
                Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-05 08:52 +1100
                Re: Functional programming Gregory Ewing <greg.ewing@canterbury.ac.nz> - 2014-03-05 12:57 +1300
                Re: Functional programming Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2014-03-05 02:11 +0200
                Re: Functional programming "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2014-03-04 13:30 +0000
                Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-05 00:47 +1100
                Re: Functional programming Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2014-03-04 14:05 +0000
                Re: Functional programming Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2014-03-04 14:55 +0000
                Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-05 02:13 +1100
                Re: Functional programming MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2014-03-04 17:07 +0000
                Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-05 01:17 +1100
                Re: Functional programming Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2014-03-04 15:18 +0000
                Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-05 02:28 +1100
                Re: Functional programming Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2014-03-04 15:45 +0000
                Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-05 03:04 +1100
                Re: Functional programming Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2014-03-05 10:09 +0100
                Re: Functional programming "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2014-03-05 11:28 +0000
                Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-05 23:04 +1100
                Re: Functional programming Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2014-03-05 14:11 +0200
                Re: Functional programming Gregory Ewing <greg.ewing@canterbury.ac.nz> - 2014-03-04 11:06 +1300
                Re: Functional programming Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2014-03-04 09:31 +1100
                Re: Functional programming Grant Edwards <invalid@invalid.invalid> - 2014-03-04 14:59 +0000
                Re: Functional programming Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2014-03-04 15:22 +0000
                Re: Functional programming Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-03-04 09:42 +1100
                Re: Functional programming Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2014-03-04 10:52 +1100
                Re: Functional programming "BartC" <bc@freeuk.com> - 2014-03-04 09:41 +0000
            Re: Functional programming 88888 Dihedral <dihedral88888@gmail.com> - 2014-03-03 16:35 -0800

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