Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ukma!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!steveb
From: steveb@cs.utexas.edu (Steve Benz)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc
Subject: Re: first class functions (opps)
Message-ID: <529@rodan.cs.utexas.edu>
Date: 7 May 89 16:33:44 GMT
References: <10253@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> <2400023@otter.hpl.hp.com> <451@sdti.SDTI.COM>
Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
Lines: 13

turner@sdti.UUCP (0006-Prescott K. Turner, Jr.) writes:
>..  But isn't it false advertising to claim first-class functions unless you
>can compare functions for equality just like other types?

Then again, you really shouldn't compare floating point numbers for equality
either.  Can we conclude that floating point numbers aren't first class?

Clearly, no.  Some operators apply to some data types, and don't apply to
other types.  Functions are first class objects in Scheme, but they really
shouldn't be compared for equality--just the same as real numbers shouldn't
be compared for equality.

						- Steve Benz