Re: [Ocaml-lib-devel] Some (simple) functions I'd like to see inExtLib ...

[skaller <sk...@us...>]

On Fri, 2004-05-28 at 01:39, Nicolas Cannasse wrote:
>  If you want such a function, provide a constructor for it:
> >
> > val make_int_generator: unit -> (unit ->int)
> >
> > but leave it up to the client to instantiate.
> 
> Sorry but as a careful programmer, I'm against the fact of "protecting the
> programmer from bad usages".

Then go back to programming in C.

The function above is in the spirit of Ocaml.
It is completely re-entrant and purely functional
and requires the programmer to arrange sharing as they see fit.

If the programmer wants to use a global variable they can 
easily write:

let unique = make_int_generator ();;

Leave this decision to the programmer to shoot themselves
in the head if they want. Don't encourage it or provide
a function that a careful programmer would in fact find
useless .. perhaps belatedly.

Its bad enough the standard distro has crap like Str
module in it. Lets not make the same mistake.

-- 
John Skaller, mailto:sk...@us...
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