🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <21@euteal.UUCP> mart@euteal.UUCP (Mart van Stiphout) writes:
   Some time ago I initiated a discussion on the Turing Language syntax,
   mainly the loops and list parts.
   ...
   What I really like are arrays. They have numerous advantages:
   1. they can be processed easily.
   2. elements can be accessed randomly in a cheap manner.
   3. you don't have to mess around with pointers.
   4. you don't have to allocate memory.
   ...
   I hereby propose to do away with linear linked lists.
   Instead we should use flexible arrays or sparse arrays.
   A sparse array can be thought of as a linked list but not implemented
   as one.
   The only thing I have to do is to declare a flexible array.
   The system does:
   1. allocation of new array elements as soon as I refer to a non-existing
      one.
   2. efficient storage of the used array elements: for example by some kind
      of dynamic hashing technique.

   The result could be something like the arrays you can use in the
   AWK programming language. These are very flexible and easy to use.
   The advantages are: no messing around with pointers, no memory
   trouble, easy acessing, easier to read programs
   and all this at the cost of (I think) a reasonable amount op cpu time.

There are existing, readily available languages that provide what you
describe.  SNOBOL tables can be indexed by objects of ANY type, and
grow dynamically at need.  Icon provides both tables and lists in just
the sense that you described, even permiting you to insert or delete
elements, adjusting the indices accordingly.

The language SETL also provided this power in terms of tuples (origin
1 arrays, adjustable length) and smaps (sets of ordered pairs to
represent arbitrary mappings).  I have implemented much of SETL as
ISETL, which is an interactive version that runs under Unix, VMS,
MS-DOS, and MacIntosh systems.  Those interested in ISETL can FTP
source from clutx.clarkson.edu in directory pub/ISETL, or you can
write to me.  If you FTP the source, just drop me a note listing your
school and the type of machines that you intend to run it on.  I am
trying to keep track of such details.
--
Gary Levin/Dept of Math & CS/Clarkson Univ/Potsdam, NY 13676/(315) 268-2384
BitNet: gary@clutx   Internet: gary@clutx.clarkson.edu