🚀 go-pugleaf

spot@CS.CMU.EDU (Scott Draves) writes:

>large lisp functions retain their clarity.  large SML
>functions are horrid messes.  this is taken from the compiler itself
>(something i work on).  i didn't even have to try and find something
>bad...  (* Copyright 1989 by AT&T Bell Laboratories *).
>
>    and getroot(APP(VAR f,wl)) = (f,mix(wl,standardformals wl))
>      | getroot(APP(LABEL f,wl)) = 
>         (case know f 
>            of KNOWN((vl,e),ref(SOME fmls)) => (f,mix(wl@(map VAR vl),fmls@fmls))
>	     | KNOWN((vl,e),ref NONE) => 
>                   (let val tmp = targeting(wl,vl,e)
>                     in (f,tmp)
>                    end)
>	     | KNOWN_CHECK((vl,e),ref(SOME fmls),_) => (f,mix(wl@(map VAR vl),fmls@fmls))
>	     | KNOWN_CHECK((vl,e),ref NONE,_) => 
>                   (let val tmp = targeting(wl,vl,e)
>                     in (f,tmp)
>                    end)
>	     | STANDARD _ => (f,mix(wl,standardformals wl))
>	     | _ => die "a10 in CPSgen")

So translate it to lisp for us, and then we have something to compare it to!

>jamesh>  Even with such a simple example, it's not obvious that the
>jamesh> close brackets at the end of the lisp version are enough,
>
>i suppose you don't use an editor that matches ()s for you.

If you *have* to use such an editor to make the language useable, then
that is a definite disadvantage.

>jamesh> where it's immediately obivous that the ML version has the
>jamesh> correct syntax.
>
>where's the obvious syntax error in this:
>
>datatype foo = FOO of x
>fun bar FOO x = x

So?

>i've written a lot of SML and lisp code, and my experience is that
>syntax (especially ()s) is not a problem in lisp, but that i do have
>problems (understanding and writing) SML.

What sort of problems?

>if someone else would like to defend SML syntax, please do so...

Can we defend Haskell syntax instead?

-- 
Fergus Henderson             fjh@munta.cs.mu.OZ.AU      
This .signature virus is a self-referential statement that is true - but 
you will only be able to consistently believe it if you copy it to your own
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