[E-Lang] Re: expression-style syntax is insecure? (was: multi ple-domain language, plus Super Newbie is lost without "The Dot" (was: do wn with `define' (was: newbie syntax: picayune points from a prejudiced p rogrammer)))

[Karp, Alan]

zooko wrote:
> 
> I certainly agree.  If it were my development team, I would instruct
> people to start with whatever they felt was easiest while doing
> rapid-prototyping and then start adding type annotations as they
> "firmed up" the code or as they did security audits.  This would, IMO,
> strike the right balance between rapid coding and bug detection.
> 

Actually, my experience was the opposite for the first Java version of
e-speak.  Those developers who cast everything to Object got their stuff to
compile quite quickly, and even got some small bits of code to run.
However, the first time they had to interact with someone else's code, they
spent days tracking down bugs related to type mismatches.  Those developers
who always used the most restrictive type had a tough time getting anything
to compile, but they had very few bugs to resolve, and the ones they had
were easier to find.  Basically, strict typing lets the compiler act as your
debugger.

_________________________
Alan Karp
Principal Scientist
Decision Technology Department
Hewlett-Packard Laboratories MS 1U-2
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