Re: [Gnu-arch-users] Re: Tla spork

[Tobias C. Rittweiler]

On Friday, August 27, 2004 at 6:49:13 PM, 
    James Blackwell <address@hidden> wrote:

> We can safely assume that everyone has been educated in algebraic
> ordering (I'm making the assumption that every programmer has at least
> reached middle school.) However, we can _not_ make that assumption for 
> prefix ordering, which is only taught in college level comp-sci courses
> (if even then!)

My mail with the transformations was meant to show you that this is
partially not true. If you consider everything a function, even C, Java
and the whole other pile turn up being prefix, too.

The problem is that prefix strikes our Etos as soon as it goes about
*mathematics*, and most people just glance at Lisp and see those
mathematical expressions using prefix and go crazy about it, although
mathematics aren't that much used commonly (and probably will even less
in xl.) [They just happen to be used in introductory cases for
simplicity, and, granted, I just committed that mistake, as well]


-- tcr (address@hidden)  ``Ho chresim'eidos uch ho poll'eidos sophos''