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- Newsgroups: comp.lang.java,comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.smalltalk
- Path: news.hawaii.edu!phinely
- From: phinely@Hawaii.Edu (Peter Hinely)
- Subject: Re: Will Java kill C++? (definition of strong typing)
- X-Nntp-Posting-Host: uhunix4.its.hawaii.edu
- Message-ID: <Dq0oqG.2CC@news.hawaii.edu>
- Sender: news@news.hawaii.edu
- Organization: University of Hawaii
- References: <31682FFE.2781E494@bbn.com> <4l0f6o$sec@nkosi.well.com> <Dpyro4.8o9@news.hawaii.edu> <pecora-1704960936190001@lou-pecora.nrl.navy.mil>
- Date: Wed, 17 Apr 1996 17:32:40 GMT
-
- In article <pecora-1704960936190001@lou-pecora.nrl.navy.mil>,
- Louis M. Pecora <pecora@zoltar.nrl.navy.mil> wrote:
- >In article <Dpyro4.8o9@news.hawaii.edu>, phinely@Hawaii.Edu (Peter Hinely)
- >wrote:
- >
- >[cut]
- >> Some languages have typing systems that don't fit in the conventional molds.
- >>
- >> For example in Dylan:
- >>
- >> define variable *my-variable* = 0;
- >>
- >> binds *my-variable* to the integer object 0.
- >>
- >> The binding of *my-variable* can be later be changed to refer to an
- >> object of any class (i.e. floating point numbers, strings, collections, even
- >> classes and functions).
- >>
- >> You can however specify type information for variables that you declare,
- >> which limits their type:
- >>
- >> define variable *my-variable* :: <integer> = 0;
- >>
- >> In this case, the binding of *my-variable* can be only be changed to refer
- >> to another integer.
- >>
- >>
- >> This type system allows Dylan programs to be prototyped rapidly without
- >> type information. Type information can later be added in, which the
- >> compiler can use to optimize the program better, giving you the best of
- >> both worlds: rapid development and good performance in your final program.
- >
- >All very nice. And truly Dylan sounded great when I read a short article
- >about it in Byte. But isn't it dead? What will happen to all those
- >Apple/IBM generated languages (Dylan, Denali, others?) as Java heats up?
- >Only OpenDoc sounds viable (and very interesting).
- >
- >--
-
- At Apple, Dylan is a state of limbo, though they have given Digitool
- (developers of Macintosh Common Lisp) a contract to make the Apple Dylan
- Technology Release development environment PowerPC-native. The
- PowerPC-native version of the Apple Dylan TR is expected to be released
- in August. (Note: The Apple Dylan TR already generates PowerPC-native
- code, it's just the development enviroment that is not native.)
-
- Harlequin and Carnegie Mellon University are still hard at work on their
- versions of Dylan. Harlequin is expected to release their Windows NT/95
- DylanWorks within the next few months. The release of CMU's Gwydion
- project (for Unix) is farther away.
-
- As to what will become of Dylan, I cannot predict. Perhaps if Sun and
- Apple merge someday, they will outfit Dylan for the web and rename it
- Java II. ;-)
-
-