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- Path: yama.mcc.ac.uk!dmu!usenet
- From: Graham Perkins <grp@dmu.ac.uk>
- Newsgroups: comp.lang.eiffel,comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.object,comp.software-eng
- Subject: Re: Portability of code & skills (Beware of "C" Hackers etc)
- Date: Wed, 27 Mar 1996 13:14:46 +0000
- Organization: De Montfort University
- Message-ID: <31593F46.3FAC@dmu.ac.uk>
- References: <31494D29.4D4B@dmu.ac.uk> <DoG3HE.48E@assip.csasyd.oz> <31517E6F.5930@dmu.ac.uk> <DooBwC.8C0@world.std.com> <65O34-3-3RB@herold.franken.de> <4j8177$18ma@saba.info.ucla.edu>
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- Jay Martin wrote:
-
- [re: passing local proc/fn as parameter in Pascal]
- > This is what I call side-effects on a global variable (or variable of
- > a larger scope). Its not what I call good programming practice. In
- > fact, I see nested procedures as implemented in algol block languages
- > (automatic importation of variables from larger scopes) as another
- > stupid idea of CS.
-
- I was originally suggesting that there are some powerful concepts in
- various languages and other paradigms that transfer very awkwardly
- or not at all into the C language. While I do not believe that programmers
- who work with C are necessarily hackers, I would maintain that without
- significant exposure to other languages they will unknowingly be locked
- into a poverty of expression.
-
- That particular Pascal feature can of course be abused just like any other.
- But if you have done some functional programming and made use of function
- parameters and curried functions, you will find it possible to design some
- tasks according to that paradigm and use the local functions to simulate
- currying.
-
- If that's not your cup of tea, then don't bother. But the point remains: a
- powerful concept is directly provided by some languages and supportable in
- others. But not C.
-
- --
- person: Graham Perkins paper: School of Computing
- voice: +44 (0)1908 834936 De Montfort University
- dots: +44 (0)1908 834948 Milton Keynes MK7 6HP
- bits: grp@dmu.ac.uk United Kingdom
-