Re: proctype and procedure type checking fully implemented

[Benjamin Kowarsch]

On Mon, 22 Apr 2024 at 17:53, Fischlin Andreas wrote:

Perhaps in this context it may amuse you to read the attached pamphlet from Niklaus Wirth (in case you should not know it already):

Wirth, N., 1976. Professor Cleverbyte's visit to heaven. Institut für Informatik, ETH, Zürich. Internal Report 17, 25-31.    Wi049

Let’s also be pragmatic as part of being simple (just don’t always trust it as you Benjamin have pointed out so nicely). ;-)

You may also want to read Wirth's essay in which he talks about "Things that turned out to be very bad ideas". I do not have a link at hand and don't remember the title, but it is very well worth looking for and reading it. It shows that Wirth didn't consider himself this ultimate failsafe authority where people can just go "Wirth implemented this, so it must be good and correct". And as I had mentioned, I have an email from Wirth in which he specifically stated that he eventually came to consider type promotion/inclusion one of those "things that turned out to be very bad ideas".

Further reading recommendations:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_least_astonishment

https://blog.masterofproject.com/dpo-six-sigma/:~:text='%20'Opportunity'%20in%20the%20Six,many%20things%20can%20go%20wrong.

regards

benjamin