From: Michael Garriss <mgarriss@...>
Date: 2003-08-01T15:05:49+09:00
Subject: Re: Knuthian vs Matsumoto era's, RDSL

This has something to do with computer power growing faster then brain 
power.

You are right on with your STL comments.  STL is very powerful combined 
with smart use of C++ templates BUT watch out!

John Carter wrote:

>The report on the RDSL project
>  http://rubyforge.org/projects/rdsl/
>notes the gap between theoretical optimal implementation and the speed of
>brute force Ruby builtins.
>
>Yip, been there, done that, been firmly bitten in the bum!
>
>I have a very nifty implementation of a deque as a circular buffer in
>ruby. Alas, the interpretor overhead means that the built in dumb
>Array shift/unshift is faster unless the deque grows to more than 2000
>items.
>
>The last era of computing is what I call "Knuthian". No matter how ugly
>the interface and implementation, (think MIX), the emphasis and joy lies
>in its time / memory behaviour.
>
>I think in the next era of computing the emphasis will not be on "optimal"
>as in fast / least memory, but on elegance of interface and
>simplicity of implementation.
>
>After all, why are we attracted to Ruby?
>
>In the Matsumoto era, code that is butt ugly to use, will die. Code that
>gives nasty surprises to its user, code that is foul to maintain, will die.
>
>Code that is crystal clear as to what it does and how you use it will
>thrive.
>
>http://www.laputan.org/selfish/selfish.html#TheSelfishClass
>describes it well.
>
>Now there is a project on Ruby Abstract Data Type's I would like to see.
>One that optimises the understandability of concept, elegance of interface
>and simplicity of implementation and ease of use.
>
>STL is fast, powerful, but truly UGLY. There are many noxious traps for
>the unwary.  Eg. you are iterating across a container, some operation many
>modules away caused the thing the iterator is pointing to destruct. Your
>iterator is now invalid. All die. (But only at random one in a thousand
>times you do it....)
>
>
>John Carter                             Phone : (64)(3) 358 6639
>Tait Electronics                        Fax   : (64)(3) 359 4632
>PO Box 1645 Christchurch                Email : john.carter@tait.co.nz
>New Zealand
>
>A Million Monkeys can inflict worse things than just Shakespeare on
>your system.
>
>
>  
>