🚀 go-pugleaf

In article 92Nov16185558@lucrece.uk.ac.oxford, michael@uk.ac.oxford.robots (& Stevens)
 writes:
>Now the arguments about recursion and OCCAM have been going a while I
>though I would make a quick summary.
>
>FOR recursion:
>	1. Recursion is mathematically elegent. Serious software
>engineering requires it.
Rubbish.  It is true that mathematical elegance is `nice', but 
serious engineering is not about producing nice programs for display
at the Tate, but robust programs which do what they are designed to do
when they are asked to do it.  Every time.  Even when operated by
morons.  

>	2. Code generation isn't hard. Handle the stack extension is possible.
>If it can be done for C, you can do it for OCCAM.

Rubbish.  C has one stack, when it fills you are stuck with no way out
anyway.  OCCAM would need p stacks - where p is the number of processes
(which changes dynamically).  When one runs out, you might have been 
better off making that one bigger and the others smaller - but it is
too late.

>	3. You don't need to use it. If you want to be able to
>predetermine memory usage at compile time don't recurese.
This seems OK, but there is probably something wrong with it.

>	4. Why single out memory as the single resource that should be
>predetermined at compile time. Time is another resource that runs out,
>and so does disk space.
>
Because memory CAN be predetermined, the others cannot.  Computing 
time is data dependent and would probably involve solving the halting
problem.  Disk space ditto.


>AGAINST recursion:
>	1. OCCAM 2 doesn't do it.
Neither does FORTRAN.

>	2. Its not implemented in OCCAM 2.
See Geoff Barrett for the dirty trick which makes it look as though
it is.

>	3. Thats all I can think of, but I am sure it has something to
>do with OCCAM 2.
OCCAM 1 is all that is NEEDED.

--
Dr David J. Pritchard		
Electronics and Computer Science	tel	(+44 703) 592722
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Southampton SO9 5NH			email	djp@uk.ac.soton.ecs (UK)
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