From: skaller <skaller@users.sourceforge.net>
To: brogoff@speakeasy.net
Cc: caml-list <caml-list@inria.fr>
Subject: Re: [Caml-list] List.rev
Date: 01 May 2004 15:12:57 +1000 [thread overview]
Message-ID: <1083388377.2581.383.camel@pelican.wigram> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.4.58.0404302129010.7938@grace.speakeasy.net>
On Sat, 2004-05-01 at 14:38, brogoff@speakeasy.net wrote:
> On Fri, 1 May 2004, skaller wrote:
> > BTW: documentation that says a function is 'tail recursive'
> > is misguided. That's an implementation detail of no
> > possible use to a user of the function. The user may
> > benefit from knowing the complexity of the function
> > in terms of speed and auxilliary storage required.
>
> You couldn't be more wrong.
Due respect but I am quite correct and provably so.
Tail-rec is a property of an actual function implementation.
The term has no meaning without exhibiting implementation
code, and it is usual for libraries to quite pointedly
NOT do that: instead the behaviour is specified in
terms of input and output of the function, and also
side effects in terms of time and storage requirements
are sometimes thrown in for more detail.
Saying tail-rec is suggestive only if you have
an implementation in your minds-eye.
It is good the documentation says the function
is tail-rec, this is better than no performance
information
BUT IT IS STILL NOT A NORMATIVE SPECIFICATION.
--
John Skaller, mailto:skaller@users.sf.net
voice: 061-2-9660-0850,
snail: PO BOX 401 Glebe NSW 2037 Australia
Checkout the Felix programming language http://felix.sf.net
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next prev parent reply other threads:[~2004-05-01 5:13 UTC|newest]
Thread overview: 27+ messages / expand[flat|nested] mbox.gz Atom feed top
2004-04-30 17:54 [Caml-list] "List.index" or "List.unique" functions? Rahul Siddharthan
2004-04-30 18:51 ` Martin Jambon
2004-04-30 19:01 ` Benjamin Geer
2004-04-30 19:07 ` Thanks " Rahul Siddharthan
2004-04-30 19:08 ` Karl Zilles
2004-04-30 19:29 ` Matthieu Sozeau
2004-04-30 20:01 ` Karl Zilles
2004-04-30 20:05 ` Remi Vanicat
2004-04-30 20:47 ` JM Nunes
2004-04-30 20:58 ` Karl Zilles
2004-05-01 1:59 ` [Caml-list] List.rev skaller
2004-05-01 4:18 ` Jon Harrop
2004-05-01 4:38 ` brogoff
2004-05-01 5:12 ` skaller [this message]
2004-05-01 7:08 ` William Lovas
2004-05-01 8:10 ` skaller
2004-05-01 8:32 ` Jon Harrop
2004-05-01 9:24 ` skaller
2004-05-02 12:07 ` Andreas Rossberg
2004-05-02 13:29 ` skaller
2004-05-01 10:07 ` Richard Jones
2004-05-01 10:09 ` Nicolas Cannasse
2004-05-02 16:04 ` Brian Hurt
2004-05-01 10:32 ` Jon Harrop
2004-05-01 16:41 ` John Goerzen
2004-05-01 19:11 ` skaller
2004-05-01 10:03 ` [Caml-list] "List.index" or "List.unique" functions? Richard Jones
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