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No macros in Python

Laura Creighton lac at strakt.com
Mon Dec 16 13:43:01 EST 2002 
> On Mon, 16 Dec 2002 16:24:19 +0100, Laura Creighton <lac at strakt.com>
> So what exactly did you do that was problematic? Implement your own
> control structures and collection classes or what?

both. and garbage collection.  and we did all sort of dirty tricks with
managing the property lists (this being in Stanford AI Lisp on a Dec-10),
and even more radical klugery hell-bent on making sure that the correct
things were in memory when we needed them.  We were absolutely starved
for memory, and so didn't  want to waste any running LISP itself ....
> 
> (The reason I keep inquiring about this is that I think a grain of
> real life case study is worth a truckload of theorizing, and you're
> the only person I can recall ever seeing come up with a substantial
> case study supporting the 'macros should be banned' position.)

Go attend any scientific computing conference and you will collect war
stories from people who shot themselves in the foot this way more
recently than last 70s, early 80s.  There is a budding language designer
inside most physicists and a great proportion of chemists as well.
Even the biologists have found out about this joy these days and the
world has not ended  yet ...

Laura
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