Re: [boost] Re: [MPL] Type detection

From: Joel de Guzman (joel_at_[hidden])
Date: 2003-10-26 04:19:52

David B. Held <dheld_at_[hidden]> wrote:
> "Joel de Guzman" <joel_at_[hidden]> wrote in message
> news:004b01c39b98$4c68d9a0$0100a8c0_at_godzilla...
>> David B. Held <dheld_at_[hidden]> wrote:
>>> "Joel de Guzman" <joel_at_[hidden]> wrote in message
>>> news:003101c39b80$ff8c9bb0$0100a8c0_at_godzilla...
>>>> [...]
>>>> It would be very difficult to debug because of the side-effects.
>>> 
>>> Could you give a concrete example?
>> 
>> Huh? Don't tell me that you don't know that already?
>> Ok, in fear of this becoming an imperative vs. functional war,
>> I'll refrain from going any further <wink ;-> It's off topic anyway...
> 
> Well, it's just that you make it sound like imperative programming
> is impossible to do correctly, but haven't people been doing it
> more or less the last half-century or so?  Or would you just say
> that they haven't been doing it correctly? ;>

I'm not saying it's impossible. Just a lot more difficult, due to things
like, emm, side-effects. Neither am I saying that "they haven't been 
doing it correctly", just that there are better ways to do things.
Why do you think John Backus (the father of FORTRAN and BNF) 
chose to invent FP?

Ok, 'nuff said... really :-)

-- 
Joel de Guzman
http://www.boost-consulting.com
http://spirit.sf.net