Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc
Path: utzoo!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!watmsg!mhcoffin
From: mhcoffin@watmsg.uwaterloo.ca (Michael Coffin)
Subject: Re: Generecity and static/dynamic typing
Message-ID: <1991Mar18.143601.13385@watmath.waterloo.edu>
Sender: daemon@watmath.waterloo.edu (0000-Admin(0000))
Organization: University of Waterloo
References: <595@optima.cs.arizona.edu> <2840@enea.se> <6703:Mar1812:01:2791@kramden.acf.nyu.edu>
Date: Mon, 18 Mar 1991 14:36:01 GMT
Lines: 20

brnstnd@kramden.acf.nyu.edu (Dan Bernstein) writes:
>...
>Emacs is written in C, with a very small percentage of ``helper'' code.
>Until someone can explain how a dynamically typed language would remove
>any length from Emacs other than in the helper code, I don't see why we
>should accept claims of extra productivity or conciseness.

GNU Emacs is written mostly in elisp---a dynamically typed language---
with a small amount of helper code written in C.  The helper code
consists of a Lisp interpreter and a few low-level, speed-critical
functions.  So the explanation you're looking for is that a
dynamically typed language has *already* removed a lot of length from
emacs.  And, although it's hard to document, it would surprise me a
lot if a competent elisp programmer isn't several times as productive
as a competent C programmer.

Michael Coffin				mhcoffin@watmsg.waterloo.edu
Dept. of Computer Science		office: (519) 885-1211
University of Waterloo			home:   (519) 725-5516
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1