Of what use is 'lambda'???

Grant Edwards ge at nowhere.none
Tue Sep 26 14:28:05 EDT 2000


In article <slrn8susbe.au.ssthapa at localhost.localdomain>, Suchandra Thapa wrote:
>Kragen Sitaker <kragen at dnaco.net> wrote:
>>- functional programmers are a bunch of academics who think up
>>  impractical ideas like garbage collection, arbitrary-precision
>>  numbers, massively parallel computers, and programming languages that
>>  compile into hardware designs, while procedural programmers get real
>>  work done, with a schedule and a budget to overrun.  Real work like
>>  payroll.
>    
>    That's not quite true since Ericcson uses their functional language
>Erlang to write software for their telecom gear and other mission critical
>stuff.

They must be some non-functional parts of the language.  If
none of the functions have side-effects, then there's no way to
change the state of a telco switch for example.  A telco switch
that can't change state isn't too useful.

-- 
Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow!  I wonder if I ought
                                  at               to tell them about my
                               visi.com            PREVIOUS LIFE as a COMPLETE
                                                   STRANGER?



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