On 10-12-02 11:36 AM, Dana Hudes wrote:
In re the hashref vs list argument the motivation forme is that I gain very
little from using Perl's parameter prototyping. Indeed we have modules such as
Params::Validate because others feel the same way.
Perl is a weakly typed language. It doesn't have type-based method dispatch as
Java does. Those want that use a module that helps or roll their own.
It doesn't have real type checking at compile time. It barely does at run time.
There is no difference between an integer and real or floating point.
I like Perl's lack of datatypes. Don't forget datatypes were invented
by compiler writers to make their job easier. They do not make
programming easier. People do not think in terms of datatypes.
For example: Java. In Java, you declare your variables like:
int iCount = 0;
Notice they all start with a sigil to indicate the datatype. That's
there to remind the programmer what the datatype is.
Another example: Go out into the real word and ask, "How do you
multiple by ten?" The answer you get is, "Put a zero on the end of it."
Thaat is string manipulation, not arithmetic. In the real world,
people automatically switch datatypes, depending on what they're doing.
Having datatypes just means more bookkeeping.
--
Just my 0.00000002 million dollars worth,
Shawn
Programming is as much about organization and communication
as it is about coding.
The secret to great software: Fail early & often.
Eliminate software piracy: use only FLOSS.
