3 ms·

Can you explain what you mean by generics modules?

• Rochus 4y ago
  Here is an example: https://oberon-lang.github.io/ https://oberon-lang.github.io/, see section Generic Programming; note how the modules have type parameters and how generic module is instantiated by the import declaration in the example of section Object Oriented Programming. Here is the specification: https://github.com/oberon-lang/specification/blob/master/The_Programming_Language_Oberon%2B.adoc#generics https://github.com/oberon-lang/specification/blob/master/The... Here is a discussion why it is designed like this: https://oberon-lang.github.io/2021/07/17/considering-generics.html https://oberon-lang.github.io/2021/07/17/considering-generic...
  • ayende 4y ago
    That reminds me very strongly how Zig does it
    • Rochus 4y ago
      I'm not familiar with Zig, but a quick look at https://ziglang.org/documentation/master/#Generic-Data-Structures https://ziglang.org/documentation/master/#Generic-Data-Struc... makes me doubt that Zig does genericity on module level; looks rather like parametric polymorphism.
      • mncharity 4y ago
        Not GP, and I'm just surfing unfamiliar docs, but it looks like, yes, there's general parameter polymorphism,[1] but also "modules" presented as structs,[2] and the polymorphism of struct constructors can have nontrivial impacts[3](eg Map(KeyType,void) loses value setters). Fwiw. [1] https://ziglang.org/documentation/master/#comptime https://ziglang.org/documentation/master/#comptime "Compile-time parameters is how Zig implements generics. It is compile-time duck typing." [2] https://ziglang.org/documentation/master/#import https://ziglang.org/documentation/master/#import [3] https://ziglang.org/documentation/master/#void https://ziglang.org/documentation/master/#void "By using void as the type of the value, the hash map entry type has no value field, and thus the hash map takes up less space. Further, all the code that deals with storing and loading the value is deleted, as seen above."
        • Rochus 4y ago
          interesting, thanks
  • mncharity 4y ago
    Thanks for this. By coincidence, I was sketching out a polymorphism kludge this evening, and this was food for thought.