Re: The fate of Euphoria=20
On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 04:48:35 -0800, Tone =C5=A0koda <guest at rapideuphoria.co=
m> wrote:
> don't confuse language basic statements with algorithm.
> that's same as confusing letters with sentances.
>
> there is no doubt that algorithm which produces same result can be made o=
n many >different ways. algorithms are complicated anyway. but basic elemen=
ts should be as >simple as possible.
That is quite true, but I think a more appropriate axiom would be "but
basic elements should be as simple as possible without complicating
the development of the algorithm"
Even with the relatively simple requirements imposed by Derek's
contest, there were a few times when I said to myself "gee, I wish I
had $feature right now"...
An algorithm can be implemented in almost any language, but some
languages do not possess the correct tools to make efficient use of
them.
Java, for instance, is very difficult to implement an algorithm in if
it requires substantial references to the underlying
byte-representation of the data. Sure, it can be done, but it'd be
painful, and it could be done much more easily in another language.
> > Structures reduce the amount of typing, as they take care of a bunch of=
index
> > mapping etc you no longer have to concenrate on. So they would _simplif=
y_ Eu,
> > and will be most welcome.
> > If you feel uncomfortable with the option, then use structures only, it=
's a
> > better catchall coding scheme probably. :)
>
> they would both simplify and complicate
> structures are my no1 wishlist item anyways for eu, but now i'm not so su=
re anymore.
Actually, I like structures too.
Sometimes I curse the chaos that results from the flexibility of
sequences. I'm writing a function that must completely validate a
large sequence passed to it before continuing.
It's a sequence consisting of N 'teams'. Each 'team' contains an array
of 'orders'. Each 'order' is 3 elements long, the first element is a
2-element sequence - both elements integers, the second and third
elements of the 'order' are also integers.
Simple enough, right? It took more than 30 lines of code to completely
validate that data... and a fair amount of program time. (Don't tell
me you can do it in 5, there were other constraints too). If the
language it was programmed in supported strong typing, the validation
would be trivial in comparison!
Euphoria's basic elements are simple, and mostly that's good. However,
sometimes that simplicity gets in the way of development, and a
work-around (like my behemoth of a validation check) has to be found
in order to get an algorithm to work.
--
MrTrick
----------
|
Not Categorized, Please Help
|
|
