Newsgroups: comp.lang.scheme Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sol.ctr.columbia.edu!bronze!copper!harlan From: harlan@copper.ucs.indiana.edu (Pete Harlan) Subject: Re: Fixing the order of evaluation. Minimizing the unexpected. Message-ID: Sender: news@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu (USENET News System) Organization: Indiana University References: <9104041629.AA19876@schizo> Date: 5 Apr 91 05:02:09 GMT Lines: 22 writes: >Does the community of Scheme programmers really gain enough from having >an undefined order of evaluation of arguments to a procedure? Yes! I have to read and understand other people's code a lot. When I look at a combination they've written, I currently don't have to think about whether the order of the arguments matters (unless there is a bug in the program; this sort of bug occurs *rarely*, in my experience). Do the proponents of fixed-order really think this is unimportant information? >Does it gain enough to make up for the losses faced as people learn >the language. (Or in the long run, less usage of the language). Are the 'losses' really that great? The amazing thing to the student, I think, is discovering how rarely it matters what the order is, and the nature of those cases where it does. Do you really want to take that away? Pete Harlan harlan@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu