Xref: utzoo comp.lang.misc:7340 comp.object:3092 Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc,comp.object Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!batcomputer!cornell!uw-beaver!mit-eddie!xn.ll.mit.edu!xn!olson From: olson@lear.juliet.ll.mit.edu ( Steve Olson) Subject: Re: Run-time Type Errors in Smalltalk (was Re: blip (was...)) In-Reply-To: diamond@jit345.swstokyo.dec.com's message of 8 Apr 91 08:56:02 GMT Message-ID: Sender: usenet@xn.ll.mit.edu Organization: M.I.T. Lincoln Lab - Group 43 References: <3523:Mar1803:21:0591@kramden.acf.nyu.edu> <22032@yunexus.YorkU.CA> <14160@life.ai.mit.edu> <1991Mar25.201620.5839@cua.cary.ibm.com> <879@puck.mrcu> <887@puck.mrcu> <1991Apr8.085602.5082@tkou02.enet.dec.com> Date: 9 Apr 91 02:04:25 In article <1991Apr8.085602.5082@tkou02.enet.dec.com> diamond@jit345.swstokyo.dec.com (Norman Diamond) writes: The multi-megabyte run time system would be useful while developing programs in statically typed languages too, and then you'd never see the mystery core dump. I certainly agree with the first part of your statement - witness Saber-C - but not the second. The real gut-buster problems I see in my line of work are when a guy calls up from a remote site and says "It ran great for 3 days, and then it crashed!!". My experience has been that the dynamically-typed system fails and you fix it the first time. When the statically typed system fails ... maybe you get lucky ... maybe you don't. Note: I'm assuming the statically typed system is "deployed" without the run-time environment - see below. Debates between static and dynamic typing should center on the advantages of programming in each kind of language, not on what can be done with multi-megabyte support packages. Agreed in principle, but harder to do than you think. The poster who talked about "A" and "B" languages accurately described how languages - in practice - tend to line up. Dynamic typing pretty much implies a elaborate run-time environment, so to do an "apples-to-apples" comparison we need a statically-typed language with a elaborate run-time enviroment. So go off and design one, and report back to this list :-). Or maybe some exist - enlighten me. -- Norman Diamond diamond@tkov50.enet.dec.com If this were the company's opinion, I wouldn't be allowed to post it. - Steve Olson MIT Lincoln Laboratory olson@juliet.ll.mit.edu