[Types-sig] type declaration syntax

[Greg Stein]

On Sat, 18 Dec 1999, Paul Prescod wrote:
> Greg Stein wrote:
> > ...
> > Nobody has ever suggested writing the bugger in C. My assumption is that
> > it will be written in Python. A second assumption is that it will always
> > remain as a lint-like tool rather than integrated into the core compiler.
> 
> That is not my assumption. If a function creator asks for the function
> to be type checked, it should be type checked every time it is
> recompiled unless some option has turned type-checking off.

If you want to write the C code, then please be my guest. I'm hoping that
I'll find time to contribute to actual coding here (between my other
projects), and assuming that to be true, then I'll be using Python. I'm
structuring my development proposal assuming that Python will be used for
the majority of the compile-time checking.

> The difference between type signatures and lint is that lint is guessing
> about things that are, strictly speaking, correct, but questionable.
> Type check declarations are either right or wrong and if they are wrong,
> the programmer should be told.

Woah!! Do not read "historical implementation of lint" into my phrasing. I
meant "a separate tool, separately invoked." I totally agree that it will
declare things right/wrong. However, I do not believe that it will be
integrated into the core, bytecode compiler any time in the near future.
If it does, then its invocation will be optional (IMO).

Cheers,
-g

-- 
Greg Stein, http://www.lyra.org/