Re: [stack] lambda the ultimate: advantages of pointfree?

adhering to a style can look like a game, but it is not frivolous.

the biggest challenge is not getting the computer to obey the rules,
it's getting the meaning of the code to fit inside your head.  since
this is impossible for most of us (for any application of significant
size and complexity) we are constantly revisiting the code we write
(this is one of the things that makes coding different from novel-
writing.)  

style is just one further constraint we apply, whose purpose is to
tame the unruliness.  point-free is a deep style, unlike, say,
white-space or indentation rules.

i adopt a point-free style for k in some circumstances, but i'd have
to reflect on what leads me to do so.  at some point, you just "know"
when it's appropriate and when not.

i don't want to suggest that this is the only reason to go point-free.
it's always a good thing to know that everything can be reduced to X,
where X is simpler than the everything you're reducing.  i'm thinking
of ken iverson's invention of "direct definition" for APL, which i
think was popular among a small contingent of APLers back in the 70s.
all functions had the form condition:true:false where alpha and omega
were left and right arguments.  such reductions act to discipline
the mind in ways we're all familiar with.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Nowak" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, March 15, 2009 12:18 AM
Subject: Re: [stack] lambda the ultimate: advantages of pointfree?


> 
> On Mar 13, 2009, at 3:16 AM, John Nowak wrote:
> 
>> http://lambda-the-ultimate.org/node/3233
>>
>> Feel free to chime in.
> 
> Hm, not much of a response so far. I don't mean to prod everyone (I  
> do), but surely someone here has something good to say for the  
> pointfree style beyond the usual "factoring is easier" argument? (I'm  
> with Mr. Apter here; I'm not convinced it's of much significance.)
> 
> J programmers try to keep programs tacit, Factor programmers try to  
> avoid locals... is this just some silly game or is there a reason for  
> it?
> 
> - \x. john x
> 
> 
>