Learning Haskell makes you a better programmer?

[Russel Winder]

On Wed, 2012-12-26 at 11:03 -0500, Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:
> On 12/26/12 9:42 AM, Russel Winder wrote:
[…]
> > Does D do tail recursion optimisation?
> 
> Yah, but not tail calls. (That should be on the list...)

I'll have to admit confusion from the above statement: tail calls are a
programmer technique, tail call optimization is a compiler / run time
technique.  If a programmer uses tail calls and the compiler realizes
tail call optimization then the result is equivalent to iteration.

> > Can the D compiler check to enforce *NO* (or at the worst single)
> > assignment to a variable?
> 
> Only for immutable data.

But isn't that the whole point, in functional programming there is only
immutable data.  Thus a programming language that allows mutable data
cannot really be said to be usable for functional programming style.

On the other hand it is 2012-12-26T16:32 and nearly time for fireworks,
and drinkies. Hopefully everyone is having a peaceful and happy
Solstice/Xmas/New Year/Hogmanay/<insert your personal choice of excuse
for celebration>.

-- 
Russel.
=============================================================================
Dr Russel Winder      t: +44 20 7585 2200   voip: sip:russel.winder at ekiga.net
41 Buckmaster Road    m: +44 7770 465 077   xmpp: russel at winder.org.uk
London SW11 1EN, UK   w: www.russel.org.uk  skype: russel_winder
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