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If there was a time when dynamic typing was overrated, then it is certainly possible that this time is a time when static typing is overrated.

by pekk 11y ago

frik 11y ago
:) Another kind of typing system is a mixture of dynamic and static typing named: gradual typing (PHP/Hack, JS, ActionScript, etc.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gradual_typing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gradual_typing There is also the difference between strong and weak typing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strong_and_weak_typing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strong_and_weak_typing It's certainly possible that there was a time when virtual machine based language implementations where overrated.
Dewie3 11y ago
I didn't really mean dynamic typing (that's why I wrote "dynamicity" with question mark). To be clearer: the ability for things to change at runtime, i.e. for the programmer to do things like monkey patching. I guess dynamic typing is related to this, at least in the sense that you'll have to give up on some static typing in order to get more flexible dynamic behaviour. And yeah, I realize that Python et. al. is used for real apps, and certainly not just for scripting tasks.
jerf 11y ago
"If there was a time when dynamic typing was overrated, then it is certainly possible that this time is a time when static typing is overrated." I think that's actually a very important aspect of understanding where dynamic typing as a hugely popular thing came from. Today, I favor static typing. However, given a choice of Python or 1990s-C++, I'll take Python. It could be argued that the static typing world needed to be dethroned and be forced to improve itself in the face of the dynamic competition to become what it is today. On the other hand, pretending that "static typing" is the same today as it was 20 years ago is merely the complementary failure that people too bedazzled by static typing 20 years ago and dismissed the oncoming dynamic typing wave made.

If there was a time when dynamic typing was overrated, then it is certainly possible that this time is a time when static typing is overrated.

by pekk 11y ago

If there was a time when dynamic typing was overrated, then it is certainly possible that this time is a time when static typing is overrated.

frik 11y ago

:) Another kind of typing system is a mixture of dynamic and static typing named: gradual typing (PHP/Hack, JS, ActionScript, etc.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gradual_typing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gradual_typing There is also the difference between strong and weak typing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strong_and_weak_typing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strong_and_weak_typing It's certainly possible that there was a time when virtual machine based language implementations where overrated.

Dewie3 11y ago

I didn't really mean dynamic typing (that's why I wrote "dynamicity" with question mark). To be clearer: the ability for things to change at runtime, i.e. for the programmer to do things like monkey patching. I guess dynamic typing is related to this, at least in the sense that you'll have to give up on some static typing in order to get more flexible dynamic behaviour. And yeah, I realize that Python et. al. is used for real apps, and certainly not just for scripting tasks.

jerf 11y ago

"If there was a time when dynamic typing was overrated, then it is certainly possible that this time is a time when static typing is overrated." I think that's actually a very important aspect of understanding where dynamic typing as a hugely popular thing came from. Today, I favor static typing. However, given a choice of Python or 1990s-C++, I'll take Python. It could be argued that the static typing world needed to be dethroned and be forced to improve itself in the face of the dynamic competition to become what it is today. On the other hand, pretending that "static typing" is the same today as it was 20 years ago is merely the complementary failure that people too bedazzled by static typing 20 years ago and dismissed the oncoming dynamic typing wave made.