Some History of Functional Programming Languages
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Functional Programming Is Style of Programming in Which the Basic Method of Computation Is the Application of Functions to Arguments;
PROGRAMMING IN HASKELL Chapter 1 - Introduction 0 What is a Functional Language? Opinions differ, and it is difficult to give a precise definition, but generally speaking: • Functional programming is style of programming in which the basic method of computation is the application of functions to arguments; • A functional language is one that supports and encourages the functional style. 1 Example Summing the integers 1 to 10 in Java: int total = 0; for (int i = 1; i 10; i++) total = total + i; The computation method is variable assignment. 2 Example Summing the integers 1 to 10 in Haskell: sum [1..10] The computation method is function application. 3 Historical Background 1930s: Alonzo Church develops the lambda calculus, a simple but powerful theory of functions. 4 Historical Background 1950s: John McCarthy develops Lisp, the first functional language, with some influences from the lambda calculus, but retaining variable assignments. 5 Historical Background 1960s: Peter Landin develops ISWIM, the first pure functional language, based strongly on the lambda calculus, with no assignments. 6 Historical Background 1970s: John Backus develops FP, a functional language that emphasizes higher-order functions and reasoning about programs. 7 Historical Background 1970s: Robin Milner and others develop ML, the first modern functional language, which introduced type inference and polymorphic types. 8 Historical Background 1970s - 1980s: David Turner develops a number of lazy functional languages, culminating in the Miranda system. 9 Historical Background 1987: An international committee starts the development of Haskell, a standard lazy functional language. 10 Historical Background 1990s: Phil Wadler and others develop type classes and monads, two of the main innovations of Haskell. -
PHP Programming Cookbook I
PHP Programming Cookbook i PHP Programming Cookbook PHP Programming Cookbook ii Contents 1 PHP Tutorial for Beginners 1 1.1 Introduction......................................................1 1.1.1 Where is PHP used?.............................................1 1.1.2 Why PHP?..................................................2 1.2 XAMPP Setup....................................................3 1.3 PHP Language Basics.................................................5 1.3.1 Escaping to PHP...............................................5 1.3.2 Commenting PHP..............................................5 1.3.3 Hello World..................................................6 1.3.4 Variables in PHP...............................................6 1.3.5 Conditional Statements in PHP........................................7 1.3.6 Loops in PHP.................................................8 1.4 PHP Arrays...................................................... 10 1.5 PHP Functions.................................................... 12 1.6 Connecting to a Database............................................... 14 1.6.1 Connecting to MySQL Databases...................................... 14 1.6.2 Connecting to MySQLi Databases (Procedurial).............................. 14 1.6.3 Connecting to MySQLi databases (Object-Oriented)............................ 15 1.6.4 Connecting to PDO Databases........................................ 15 1.7 PHP Form Handling................................................. 15 1.8 PHP Include & Require Statements......................................... -
A Universal Modular ACTOR Formalism for Artificial
Artificial Intelligence A Universal Modular ACTOR Formalism for Artificial Intelligence Carl Hewitt Peter Bishop Richard Steiger Abstract This paper proposes a modular ACTOR architecture and definitional method for artificial intelligence that is conceptually based on a single kind of object: actors [or, if you will, virtual processors, activation frames, or streams]. The formalism makes no presuppositions about the representation of primitive data structures and control structures. Such structures can be programmed, micro-coded, or hard wired 1n a uniform modular fashion. In fact it is impossible to determine whether a given object is "really" represented as a list, a vector, a hash table, a function, or a process. The architecture will efficiently run the coming generation of PLANNER-like artificial intelligence languages including those requiring a high degree of parallelism. The efficiency is gained without loss of programming generality because it only makes certain actors more efficient; it does not change their behavioral characteristics. The architecture is general with respect to control structure and does not have or need goto, interrupt, or semaphore primitives. The formalism achieves the goals that the disallowed constructs are intended to achieve by other more structured methods. PLANNER Progress "Programs should not only work, but they should appear to work as well." PDP-1X Dogma The PLANNER project is continuing research in natural and effective means for embedding knowledge in procedures. In the course of this work we have succeeded in unifying the formalism around one fundamental concept: the ACTOR. Intuitively, an ACTOR is an active agent which plays a role on cue according to a script" we" use the ACTOR metaphor to emphasize the inseparability of control and data flow in our model. -
Object-Oriented Programming Basics with Java
Object-Oriented Programming Object-Oriented Programming Basics With Java In his keynote address to the 11th World Computer Congress in 1989, renowned computer scientist Donald Knuth said that one of the most important lessons he had learned from his years of experience is that software is hard to write! Computer scientists have struggled for decades to design new languages and techniques for writing software. Unfortunately, experience has shown that writing large systems is virtually impossible. Small programs seem to be no problem, but scaling to large systems with large programming teams can result in $100M projects that never work and are thrown out. The only solution seems to lie in writing small software units that communicate via well-defined interfaces and protocols like computer chips. The units must be small enough that one developer can understand them entirely and, perhaps most importantly, the units must be protected from interference by other units so that programmers can code the units in isolation. The object-oriented paradigm fits these guidelines as designers represent complete concepts or real world entities as objects with approved interfaces for use by other objects. Like the outer membrane of a biological cell, the interface hides the internal implementation of the object, thus, isolating the code from interference by other objects. For many tasks, object-oriented programming has proven to be a very successful paradigm. Interestingly, the first object-oriented language (called Simula, which had even more features than C++) was designed in the 1960's, but object-oriented programming has only come into fashion in the 1990's. -
Unfold/Fold Transformations and Loop Optimization of Logic Programs
Unfold/Fold Transformations and Loop Optimization of Logic Programs Saumya K. Debray Department of Computer Science The University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721 Abstract: Programs typically spend much of their execution time in loops. This makes the generation of ef®cient code for loops essential for good performance. Loop optimization of logic programming languages is complicated by the fact that such languages lack the iterative constructs of traditional languages, and instead use recursion to express loops. In this paper, we examine the application of unfold/fold transformations to three kinds of loop optimization for logic programming languages: recur- sion removal, loop fusion and code motion out of loops. We describe simple unfold/fold transformation sequences for these optimizations that can be automated relatively easily. In the process, we show that the properties of uni®cation and logical variables can sometimes be used to generalize, from traditional languages, the conditions under which these optimizations may be carried out. Our experience suggests that such source-level transformations may be used as an effective tool for the optimization of logic pro- grams. 1. Introduction The focus of this paper is on the static optimization of logic programs. Speci®cally, we investigate loop optimization of logic programs. Since programs typically spend most of their time in loops, the generation of ef®cient code for loops is essential for good performance. In the context of logic programming languages, the situation is complicated by the fact that iterative constructs, such as for or while, are unavailable. Loops are usually expressed using recursive procedures, and loop optimizations have be considered within the general framework of inter- procedural optimization. -
Solving the Funarg Problem with Static Types IFL ’21, September 01–03, 2021, Online
Solving the Funarg Problem with Static Types Caleb Helbling Fırat Aksoy [email protected] fi[email protected] Purdue University Istanbul University West Lafayette, Indiana, USA Istanbul, Turkey ABSTRACT downwards. The upwards funarg problem refers to the manage- The difficulty associated with storing closures in a stack-based en- ment of the stack when a function returns another function (that vironment is known as the funarg problem. The funarg problem may potentially have a non-empty closure), whereas the down- was first identified with the development of Lisp in the 1970s and wards funarg problem refers to the management of the stack when hasn’t received much attention since then. The modern solution a function is passed to another function (that may also have a non- taken by most languages is to allocate closures on the heap, or to empty closure). apply static analysis to determine when closures can be stack allo- Solving the upwards funarg problem is considered to be much cated. This is not a problem for most computing systems as there is more difficult than the downwards funarg problem. The downwards an abundance of memory. However, embedded systems often have funarg problem is easily solved by copying the closure’s lexical limited memory resources where heap allocation may cause mem- scope (captured variables) to the top of the program’s stack. For ory fragmentation. We present a simple extension to the prenex the upwards funarg problem, an issue arises with deallocation. A fragment of System F that allows closures to be stack-allocated. returning function may capture local variables, making the size of We demonstrate a concrete implementation of this system in the the closure dynamic. -
A Right-To-Left Type System for Value Recursion
1 A right-to-left type system for value recursion 61 2 62 3 63 4 Alban Reynaud Gabriel Scherer Jeremy Yallop 64 5 ENS Lyon, France INRIA, France University of Cambridge, UK 65 6 66 1 Introduction Seeking to address these problems, we designed and imple- 7 67 mented a new check for recursive definition safety based ona 8 In OCaml recursive functions are defined using the let rec opera- 68 novel static analysis, formulated as a simple type system (which we 9 tor, as in the following definition of factorial: 69 have proved sound with respect to an existing operational seman- 10 let rec fac x = if x = 0 then 1 70 tics [Nordlander et al. 2008]), and implemented as part of OCaml’s 11 else x * (fac (x - 1)) 71 type-checking phase. Our check was merged into the OCaml distri- 12 Beside functions, let rec can define recursive values, such as 72 bution in August 2018. 13 an infinite list ones where every element is 1: 73 Moving the check from the middle end to the type checker re- 14 74 let rec ones = 1 :: ones stores the desirable property that compilation of well-typed programs 15 75 Note that this “infinite” list is actually cyclic, and consists of asingle does not go wrong. This property is convenient for tools that reuse 16 76 cons-cell referencing itself. OCaml’s type-checker without performing compilation, such as 17 77 However, not all recursive definitions can be computed. The MetaOCaml [Kiselyov 2014] (which type-checks quoted code) and 18 78 following definition is justly rejected by the compiler: Merlin [Bour et al. -
Dynamic Variables
Dynamic Variables David R. Hanson and Todd A. Proebsting Microsoft Research [email protected] [email protected] November 2000 Technical Report MSR-TR-2000-109 Abstract Most programming languages use static scope rules for associating uses of identifiers with their declarations. Static scope helps catch errors at compile time, and it can be implemented efficiently. Some popular languages—Perl, Tcl, TeX, and Postscript—use dynamic scope, because dynamic scope works well for variables that “customize” the execution environment, for example. Programmers must simulate dynamic scope to implement this kind of usage in statically scoped languages. This paper describes the design and implementation of imperative language constructs for introducing and referencing dynamically scoped variables—dynamic variables for short. The design is a minimalist one, because dynamic variables are best used sparingly, much like exceptions. The facility does, however, cater to the typical uses for dynamic scope, and it provides a cleaner mechanism for so-called thread-local variables. A particularly simple implementation suffices for languages without exception handling. For languages with exception handling, a more efficient implementation builds on existing compiler infrastructure. Exception handling can be viewed as a control construct with dynamic scope. Likewise, dynamic variables are a data construct with dynamic scope. Microsoft Research Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA 98052 http://www.research.microsoft.com/ Dynamic Variables Introduction Nearly all modern programming languages use static (or lexical) scope rules for determining variable bindings. Static scope can be implemented very efficiently and makes programs easier to understand. Dynamic scope is usu- ally associated with “older” languages; notable examples include Lisp, SNOBOL4, and APL. -
Comparative Studies of Programming Languages; Course Lecture Notes
Comparative Studies of Programming Languages, COMP6411 Lecture Notes, Revision 1.9 Joey Paquet Serguei A. Mokhov (Eds.) August 5, 2010 arXiv:1007.2123v6 [cs.PL] 4 Aug 2010 2 Preface Lecture notes for the Comparative Studies of Programming Languages course, COMP6411, taught at the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada. These notes include a compiled book of primarily related articles from the Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia [24], as well as Comparative Programming Languages book [7] and other resources, including our own. The original notes were compiled by Dr. Paquet [14] 3 4 Contents 1 Brief History and Genealogy of Programming Languages 7 1.1 Introduction . 7 1.1.1 Subreferences . 7 1.2 History . 7 1.2.1 Pre-computer era . 7 1.2.2 Subreferences . 8 1.2.3 Early computer era . 8 1.2.4 Subreferences . 8 1.2.5 Modern/Structured programming languages . 9 1.3 References . 19 2 Programming Paradigms 21 2.1 Introduction . 21 2.2 History . 21 2.2.1 Low-level: binary, assembly . 21 2.2.2 Procedural programming . 22 2.2.3 Object-oriented programming . 23 2.2.4 Declarative programming . 27 3 Program Evaluation 33 3.1 Program analysis and translation phases . 33 3.1.1 Front end . 33 3.1.2 Back end . 34 3.2 Compilation vs. interpretation . 34 3.2.1 Compilation . 34 3.2.2 Interpretation . 36 3.2.3 Subreferences . 37 3.3 Type System . 38 3.3.1 Type checking . 38 3.4 Memory management . -
Fiendish Designs
Fiendish Designs A Software Engineering Odyssey © Tim Denvir 2011 1 Preface These are notes, incomplete but extensive, for a book which I hope will give a personal view of the first forty years or so of Software Engineering. Whether the book will ever see the light of day, I am not sure. These notes have come, I realise, to be a memoir of my working life in SE. I want to capture not only the evolution of the technical discipline which is software engineering, but also the climate of social practice in the industry, which has changed hugely over time. To what extent, if at all, others will find this interesting, I have very little idea. I mention other, real people by name here and there. If anyone prefers me not to refer to them, or wishes to offer corrections on any item, they can email me (see Contact on Home Page). Introduction Everybody today encounters computers. There are computers inside petrol pumps, in cash tills, behind the dashboard instruments in modern cars, and in libraries, doctors’ surgeries and beside the dentist’s chair. A large proportion of people have personal computers in their homes and may use them at work, without having to be specialists in computing. Most people have at least some idea that computers contain software, lists of instructions which drive the computer and enable it to perform different tasks. The term “software engineering” wasn’t coined until 1968, at a NATO-funded conference, but the activity that it stands for had been carried out for at least ten years before that. -
On the Expressive Power of Programming Languages for Generative Design
On the Expressive Power of Programming Languages for Generative Design The Case of Higher-Order Functions António Leitão1, Sara Proença2 1,2INESC-ID, Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa 1,2{antonio.menezes.leitao|sara.proenca}@ist.utl.pt The expressive power of a language measures the breadth of ideas that can be described in that language and is strongly dependent on the constructs provided by the language. In the programming language area, one of the constructs that increases the expressive power is the concept of higher-order function (HOF). A HOF is a function that accepts functions as arguments and/or returns functions as results. HOF can drastically simplify the programming activity, reducing the development effort, and allowing for more adaptable programs. In this paper we explain the concept of HOFs and its use for Generative Design. We then compare the support for HOF in the most used programming languages in the GD field and we discuss the pedagogy of HOFs. Keywords: Generative Design, Higher-Order Functions, Programming Languages INTRODUCTION ming language is Turing-complete, meaning that Generative Design (GD) involves the use of algo- almost all programming languages have the same rithms that compute designs (McCormack 2004, Ter- computational power. In what regards their expres- dizis 2003). In order to take advantage of comput- sive power, however, they can be very different. A ers, these algorithms must be implemented in a pro- given programming language can be textual, visual, gramming language. There are two important con- or both but, in any case, it must be expressive enough cepts concerning programming languages: compu- to allow the description of a large range of algo- tational power, which measures the complexity of rithms. -
Chapter 2 Background
Chapter 2 Background This chapter discusses background information pertinent to the re- search discussed in the remainder of the book. Section 2.1 defines the problem area addressed by the research: combinator graph reduction of lazy functional programs. Section 2.2 discusses previous research on combinator reduction methods of program execution. Section 2.3 out- lines the approach used for research presented in later chapters, focus- ing on the TIGRE abstract machine for combinator graph reduction. 2.1. PROBLEM DEFINITION The problem area of interest is the efficient execution of lazy functional programs using combinator graph reduction. Since this method of program execution is not well known, Appendix A has been provided as a brief tutorial on the main concepts. 2.1.1. Lazy Functional Programming Functional programs are built by pairing expressions into applications. Each expression may be a function or value, and the result of each pairing may also be a function or a value. Functional programming languages may be contrasted with more conventional, imperative, programming languages by the fact that functional programs preserve referential transparency (i.e., expressions have no side effects and depend only on values returned from subexpressions), and hence lack an assignable program state. Lazy functional programming languages are further distinguished from imperative languages by the fact that they employ lazy (or, more precisely, nonstrict) evaluation of parameters by default. Lazy evalua- tion (sometimes called normal order evaluation, although this term does not precisely characterize the notion of lazy evaluation) is a call-by-need para- 5 6 Chapter 2. Background meter passing mechanism in which only a thunk* for an argument is passed to a function when that function is called (Henderson & Morris 1976, Friedman & Wise 1976, Vuilleman 1973).