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> What is the type system providing you in that scenario? Though the data flowing in and out of a web application is usually in string form, that doesn't mean

> What is the type system providing you in that scenario? Though the data flowing in and out of a web application is usually in string form, that doesn't mean that it needs to be treated as such in your application. You'll convert the string to a richer, more specific datatype and the static type system will help you correctly manipulate the data. A nice blog post on the subject is [1] where the author explains how you can represent different kinds of strings (raw strings, SQL strings, etc.) using the type system. [1] http://blog.moertel.com/posts/2006-10-18-a-type-based-solution-to-the-strings-problem.html http://blog.moertel.com/posts/2006-10-18-a-type-based-soluti...

JunkDNA 13y ago
Thanks for that post, I think the point I was making was slightly different. I'm arguing that with web programming you lack the end to end control you might have in a closed system. You depend on all sorts of input from users, your data is stored in a database or nosql store that is outside your program's (and compiler's) complete control. It can change underneath you at any time. The argument that static typing can help you know that your code is correct is weakened in this environment. Internally you of course construct your code in a way that uses types and can verify that you are internally consistent. However, I'm saying that at a fundamental level, in a data-driven web app, the system as a whole is only marginally improved by this because your whole universe starts out with a bunch of typecast operations as the gateway to your codebase. These always are happening at runtime and are one "ALTER TABLE" (to pick just one example) away from failing spectacularly in production. I'm not arguing one way or another that static typing is/is not good in this scenario. I'm just pointing out that the foundation of the system as a whole is not as solid as other programming scenarios where you have much more control.

JunkDNA 13y ago

Thanks for that post, I think the point I was making was slightly different. I'm arguing that with web programming you lack the end to end control you might have in a closed system. You depend on all sorts of input from users, your data is stored in a database or nosql store that is outside your program's (and compiler's) complete control. It can change underneath you at any time. The argument that static typing can help you know that your code is correct is weakened in this environment. Internally you of course construct your code in a way that uses types and can verify that you are internally consistent. However, I'm saying that at a fundamental level, in a data-driven web app, the system as a whole is only marginally improved by this because your whole universe starts out with a bunch of typecast operations as the gateway to your codebase. These always are happening at runtime and are one "ALTER TABLE" (to pick just one example) away from failing spectacularly in production. I'm not arguing one way or another that static typing is/is not good in this scenario. I'm just pointing out that the foundation of the system as a whole is not as solid as other programming scenarios where you have much more control.