Wadge, William W. (1978) Away from the operations view of computer science. University of Warwick. Department of Computer Science. (Theory of Computation Report). (Unpublished)

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Abstract

We argue that classical programming languages are based on a fundamentally mistaken emphasis on the operational aspect of computation. These languages are seen as the means by which the programmer brings about particular kinds of operational activity (such as procedure calling or message passing). We suggest an alternate philosophy which places the emphasis on static, extensional (mathematical) concepts such as that of function or sequence. We define a simple functional language (Luswim) based on the principles. The Luswim programmer specifies the desired output, and operational concepts such as data flow message passing or coroutine linkage can be used to evaluate the specification. Operational activity occupies its proper place, namely as means to an end rather than an end in itself.

Item Type:	Report
Subjects:	Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA76 Electronic computers. Computer science. Computer software
Divisions:	Faculty of Science > Computer Science
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Functional programming languages, Computer Science -- Philosophy
Series Name:	Theory of Computation Report
Publisher:	University of Warwick. Department of Computer Science
Official Date:	November 1978
Dates:	Date Event November 1978 ["eprint_fieldopt_dates_date_type_available" not defined]
Date of first compliant deposit:	1 August 2016
Number:	Number 26
Number of Pages:	10
DOI:	CS-RR-026
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of Computer Science
Status:	Not Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access

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