From: gabriele renzi <surrender_it@...1.vip.ukl.yahoo.com>
Date: 2004-07-14T08:47:21+09:00
Subject: Re: Functional Ruby (Re: Why I don't use Ruby.)

il Wed, 14 Jul 2004 06:52:18 +0900, "Sean O'Dell" <sean@celsoft.com>
ha scritto::


>> Functional languages don't enforce a specific syntax like function(arg1,
>> arg2) etc., but they indeed specify that a function should have no side
>> effects which means that the only way it should be able to interact with
>> the outside world is by returning values. (Lambda calculus is the origin
>> of functional languages and compared to computer languages its syntax is
>> indeed very exotic.)
>
>Unless something has changed, functional languages DO have to enforce a 
>specific syntax; it must be functional (call, parameter).  The precise syntax 
>is up to each language; lisp does it something like (set a 10) I believe, but 
>another language could do it set(a, 10).  It really doesn't matter.
>

not necessarily. 
IIRC Haskell, wich is known as one of the purest functrional language
allows
arg1 `function` arg2
:)