Re: [boost] Re: Tuple library accepted

From: John Max Skaller (skaller_at_[hidden])
Date: 2001-06-29 23:17:37

jaakko.jarvi_at_[hidden] wrote:

> If tuples would be a language feature, instead of just a library, 

        Library is good enough, just use it!

> Tuples are a proposed addition to Eiffel, and paramter lists
> are tuples are in Eiffel.

        Tuples are fundamental in Felix, in which all
functions _other than tuple constructors_ have exactly
one argument.  This is standard practice in SML like
languages.

        The same argument should apply to templates,
and again, it is standard practice in SML.
Templates should apply to modules and there should
only be one parameter, another module. 

        In C++, you can try to do this with classes: 
a template class should have exactly one parameter, 
a class. It is easy to use a 'type_tuple' for this,
but this technique doesn't support ints and template
templates at the same time AFAICS.

        There is strong theoretical backing
for this approach. As I said some time ago
when I first posted my own tuples library:
it is the ONLY way to avoid a combinatorial
explosion for higher order generics.

-- 
John (Max) Skaller, mailto:skaller_at_[hidden] 
10/1 Toxteth Rd Glebe NSW 2037 Australia voice: 61-2-9660-0850
New generation programming language Felix  http://felix.sourceforge.net
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