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Re: [Axiom-developer] domains with parameters versus Python classes


From: Bill Page
Subject: Re: [Axiom-developer] domains with parameters versus Python classes
Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2007 11:19:59 -0400
User-agent: Webmail 4.0

Quoting Gabriel Dos Reis <address@hidden>:

...
Anyway, I find the idea of luring Python developers into Axiom by
showing them how you can write Spad/Aldor programs in Python
and vice versa very, let say, curious.


I suppose by "very, let say, curious" you mean something like
"crazy", "silly", "doubtful", "waste of time", etc. ?

I am not sure why you should feel this way. Do you think that
there is no hope that proponents of Python will ever find any
advantage in static typing? Certainly programming in Python
seems (at least initially) much easier and faster than in Aldor
because there is no need to specify types.Specifying correct
types requires extra discipline and analysis at the start of
a project. Similarly, ignoring types until run-time testing can
(in principle) lead to requiring more time in testing and
debugging in the last stage of a project. There was a lot of
discussion of this by Python users a few years ago and some
from of static typing is apparently scheduled to be part of
Python 3.

As Axiom users we have an additional reason to be concerned
with types upfront that has to do with mathematical rigour.
Not only do we want the program to be correct but we also
want it to accurately reflect or represent the formal structure
of the matematical objects that we are manipulating.

On the other hand, showing Axiom programmers that in
some ways Spad and Aldor are not so ancient and unique
might also be a good thing.

Could you elaborate on why you say it is "very, let say,
curious"?

Regards,
Bill Page.




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