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is there any further information on why Rust and other recent languages have started using `enum` to refer to sum types? I don't use Rust or TypeScript (edit: a

is there any further information on why Rust and other recent languages have started using `enum` to refer to sum types? I don't use Rust or TypeScript (edit: apparently TS doesn't have this, my memory is bad) or any of those languages and it's been very strange to see this redefinition occur

randomdata 3y ago
Typescript has actual enums. They behave just like Go's (for better or worse). It's not clear why Rust got confused.
- adamrezich 3y ago
  yep, sorry about that, I misremembered TypeScript as having the same "kind of enums" as Rust.
  - tubthumper8 3y ago
    TypeScript has discriminated unions if that's what you were thinking of https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/2/narrowing.html#discriminated-unions https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/2/narrowing.htm...
Quekid5 3y ago
I think it might be due to the O'Caml influence on early Rust. They call them enums there[0]. [0] https://www.ocamlwiki.com/index.php?title=Enums_in_OCaml https://www.ocamlwiki.com/index.php?title=Enums_in_OCaml
- ReleaseCandidat 3y ago
  They are called variants in OCaml (and inductive data types in Roqc). But way more important: this OCaml wiki is an AI generated mess full of, well, bullshit. https://discuss.ocaml.org/t/whats-up-with-ocamlwiki/13605 https://discuss.ocaml.org/t/whats-up-with-ocamlwiki/13605
  - Quekid5 3y ago
    Ah, I see. That's sad :( ... and now that you mention it, I do remember the variants terminology, esp. around the polymorphic variants feature. It's been 20+ years since I used OCaml, I'm afraid...
samatman 3y ago
My best guess is Java. Edit: I guess if you've never seen that this is, uh, controversial. Or something. Anyway, Java enums are full-strength classes, look at the planet example here https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/javaOO/enum.html https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/javaOO/enum.htm... This is more like a Rust enum than a C one, I think you'll find.
trealira 3y ago
Maybe to appeal to C and C++ developers. Rust makes its syntax superficially similar to C/C++ syntax in many other ways: pointer/reference syntax, declaration of "struct" types, generic types using <T>, curly brace block structure, and the naming conventions enforced by their lints. To be fair, many of these traits of C and C++ are also copied by other programming languages (e.g. curly braces). But they could have gone in a different direction and had pointer and record syntax more like Pascal, or made a syntax more like OCaml, Standard ML, or Haskell.

randomdata 3y ago

Typescript has actual enums. They behave just like Go's (for better or worse). It's not clear why Rust got confused.

adamrezich 3y ago
yep, sorry about that, I misremembered TypeScript as having the same "kind of enums" as Rust.
- tubthumper8 3y ago
  TypeScript has discriminated unions if that's what you were thinking of https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/2/narrowing.html#discriminated-unions https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/2/narrowing.htm...

Quekid5 3y ago

I think it might be due to the O'Caml influence on early Rust. They call them enums there[0]. [0] https://www.ocamlwiki.com/index.php?title=Enums_in_OCaml https://www.ocamlwiki.com/index.php?title=Enums_in_OCaml

ReleaseCandidat 3y ago
They are called variants in OCaml (and inductive data types in Roqc). But way more important: this OCaml wiki is an AI generated mess full of, well, bullshit. https://discuss.ocaml.org/t/whats-up-with-ocamlwiki/13605 https://discuss.ocaml.org/t/whats-up-with-ocamlwiki/13605
- Quekid5 3y ago
  Ah, I see. That's sad :( ... and now that you mention it, I do remember the variants terminology, esp. around the polymorphic variants feature. It's been 20+ years since I used OCaml, I'm afraid...

samatman 3y ago

My best guess is Java. Edit: I guess if you've never seen that this is, uh, controversial. Or something. Anyway, Java enums are full-strength classes, look at the planet example here https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/javaOO/enum.html https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/javaOO/enum.htm... This is more like a Rust enum than a C one, I think you'll find.

trealira 3y ago

Maybe to appeal to C and C++ developers. Rust makes its syntax superficially similar to C/C++ syntax in many other ways: pointer/reference syntax, declaration of "struct" types, generic types using <T>, curly brace block structure, and the naming conventions enforced by their lints. To be fair, many of these traits of C and C++ are also copied by other programming languages (e.g. curly braces). But they could have gone in a different direction and had pointer and record syntax more like Pascal, or made a syntax more like OCaml, Standard ML, or Haskell.