Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!rutgers!okstate!norman From: norman@a.cs.okstate.edu (Norman Graham) Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc Subject: Unification of Paradigms Message-ID: <3923@okstate.UUCP> Date: 19 Sep 88 15:11:47 GMT Organization: Oklahoma State Univ., Stillwater Lines: 37 Has anyone out there tried to derive a set of concepts that would allow the unification of procedural, object, functional, and logic languages? I've kicked the idea around a little and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of difference between the lot (although I've done very little logic programming). First let's start with a suitably powerful procedural language (ie. an orthoganal language that includes both functional polymorphism (true polymorphism) and overloading (ad. hoc. polymorphism); functions as data objects (allowing for functionals); first class citizenship for all objects; etc.). Now if we give programmers the option of specifying that a function does not use a store, doesn't that allow a program (or selected parts of a program) to be built using the functional paradigm with all of its advantages? Futhermore, it seems that the only difference between this language and an object language is packaging (eg. do we package the functions as part of the object or not?). I've left out inheritance, but perhaps it fits in as well. Logic languages only seem to provide syntatic sugar for a handful of functions easily written in the above language. |-: Don't flame me for that last statement. If it's incorrect just write it off as a statement by a logic programming novice and explain why it ain't so. :-| Granted, a language like the above would not set the world on fire with its speed on machines using today's conventional architecture, but... If you've had similar ideas, or ideas to the contrary send mail. If you have a flame send mail also (this group is already too cluttered with flames). Thanks for your support... -- Norman Graham Oklahoma State University Internet: norman@a.cs.okstate.edu Computing and Information Sciences UUCP: {cbosgd, ihnp4, 219 Mathematical Sciences Building rutgers}!okstate!norman Stillwater, OK 74078-0599