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Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!utai!jeem
From: jeem@utai.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.lang.scheme
Subject: Re: data structures <--> functions
Message-ID: <4171@utai.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 4-Dec-87 04:14:50 EST
Article-I.D.: utai.4171
Posted: Fri Dec  4 04:14:50 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 6-Dec-87 20:24:13 EST
References: <9597@mimsy.UUCP>
Reply-To: jeem@ai.UUCP (Jim des Rivieres)
Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto
Lines: 12
Summary: meta-level facilities are critical, albeit rarified

In article <9597@mimsy.UUCP>, Greg Johnson asks how much of a loss would it be
to not have a mechanism for a lisp program to build a data structure and then
use it as an executable function?

An analogous question: How much of a loss would it be if all of a standard
stored-program computer's instructions had to reside in read-only memory?

The answer in both cases is that, while the vast majority of programmers would
not be directly inconvenienced by the lack of meta-level facilities , it would
be absolutely crippling to the system programmers that have to supply the
editors, compilers, linkers, and debuggers for that system.