Funser: a functional server for textual information retrieval

1995 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald A Ziff ◽  
Stephen P Spackman ◽  
Keith Waclena
Keyword(s):  
Information Retrieval ◽  
Programming Languages ◽  
Functional Programming ◽  
Functional Language ◽  
Textual Information ◽  
Data Intensive ◽  
Performance Results ◽  
Lazy Functional Programming ◽  
Initial Results ◽  
Data Intensive Application

AbstractThis paper describes a data-intensive application written in a lazy functional language: a server for textual information retrieval. The design illustrates the importance of interoperability, the capability of interacting with code written in other programming languages. Lazy functional programming is shown to be a powerful and elegant means of accomplishing several desirable concrete goals: delivering initial results promptly, using space economically, and avoiding unnecessary I/O. Performance results, however, are mixed.

What is a purely functional language?

1998 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
AMR SABRY
Keyword(s):  
Programming Languages ◽  
Functional Programming ◽  
Denotational Semantics ◽  
Functional Language ◽  
Formal Definition ◽  
Functional Programming Languages ◽  
Precise Meaning ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Parameter Passing

Functional programming languages are informally classified into pure and impure languages. The precise meaning of this distinction has been a matter of controversy. We therefore investigate a formal definition of purity. We begin by showing that some proposed definitions which rely on confluence, soundness of the beta axiom, preservation of pure observational equivalences and independence of the order of evaluation, do not withstand close scrutiny. We propose instead a definition based on parameter-passing independence. Intuitively, the definition implies that functions are pure mappings from arguments to results; the operational decision of how to pass the arguments is irrelevant. In the context of Haskell, our definition is consistent with the fact that the traditional call-by-name denotational semantics coincides with the traditional call-by-need implementation. Furthermore, our definition is compatible with the stream-based, continuation-based and monad-based integration of computational effects in Haskell. Finally, we observe that call-by-name reasoning principles are unsound in compilers for monadic Haskell.

scholarly journals Editorial for the Special Issue on Parallel and Concurrent Functional Programming

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriele Keller ◽  
Fritz Henglein
Keyword(s):  
Programming Languages ◽  
Functional Programming ◽  
Programming Model ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Functional Languages ◽  
Functional Language ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Practical Applications ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Concurrent Computing

Functional languages are uniquely suited to providing programmers with a programming model for parallel and concurrent computing. This is reflected in the wide range of work that is currently underway, both on parallel and concurrent functional languages, as well as on bringing functional language features to other programming languages. This has resulted in a rapidly growing number of practical applications. The Journal of Functional Programming decided to dedicate a special issue to this field to showcase the state of the art in how functional languages and functional concepts currently assist programmers with the task of managing the challenges of creating parallel and concurrent systems.

Pattern matching with abstract data types

1993 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Warren Burton ◽  
Robert D Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Programming Languages ◽  
Pattern Matching ◽  
Functional Programming ◽  
Abstract Data Types ◽  
Data Types ◽  
Functional Programming Languages ◽  
Equational Reasoning ◽  
Abstract Data ◽  
Algebraic Data Types ◽  
Lazy Functional Programming

AbstractPattern matching in modern functional programming languages is tied to the representation of data. Unfortunately, this is incompatible with the philosophy of abstract data types.Two proposals have been made to generalize pattern matching to a broader class of types. The laws mechanism of Miranda allows pattern matching with non-free algebraic data types. More recently, Wadler proposed the concept of views as a more general solution, making it possible to define arbitrary mappings between a physical implementation and a view supporting pattern matching. Originally, it was intended to include views in the new standard lazy functional programming language Haskell.Laws and views each offer important advantages, particularly with respect to data abstraction. However, if not used with great care, they also introduce serious problems in equational reasoning. As a result, laws have been removed from Miranda and views were not included in the final version of Haskell.We propose a third approach which unifies the laws and views mechanisms while avoiding their problems. Philosophically, we view pattern matching as a bundling of case recognition and component selection functions instead of a method for inverting data construction. This can be achieved by removing the implied equivalence between data constructors and pattern constructors. In practice, we allow automatic mapping into a view but not out of the view. We show that equational reasoning can still be used with the resulting system. In fact, equational reasoning is easier, since there are fewer hidden traps.

scholarly journals An incremental, exploratory and transformational environment for lazy functional programming

1993 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin Runciman ◽  
Ian Toyn ◽  
Mike Firth
Keyword(s):  
Functional Programming ◽  
Program Transformation ◽  
Functional Languages ◽  
Functional Language ◽  
Programming Environment ◽  
Programming Environments ◽  
Program Construction ◽  
Execution Tracing ◽  
Lazy Functional Programming

AbstractMost programming environments for functional languages offer a single tool used to evaluate programs – either a batch compiler or an interpreter with a read-eval-print loop. This paper presents a programming environment that supports not only evaluation, but also a range of other programming activities including transformation. The environment is designed to encourage working in an incremental and exploratory style, avoiding constraints on the order in which things must be done yet guarenteeing security. What has already been done towards the development of a program automatically persists, as does information about what has yet to be done. For instance, new laws can be introduced as conjectures and used in program transformation, but full details of proof obligations and dependencies are maintained.The paper outlines the functional language supported by the environment, and uses an extended example to illustrate program construction, execution, tracing, modification and transformation.

scholarly journals Special issue on Haskell

2000 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 319-319
Author(s):  
Graham Hutton
Keyword(s):  
Programming Languages ◽  
Functional Programming ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Practical Experience ◽  
Pedagogical Issues ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Plain Text ◽  
La Jolla ◽  
High Level ◽  
Lazy Functional Programming

Since its inception in 1987, Haskell has provided a focal point for research in lazy functional programming. During this time the language has continually evolved, as a result of both theoretical advances and practical experience. Haskell has proved to be a powerful tool for many kinds of programming tasks, and applications in industry are beginning to emerge. The recent definition of Haskell 98 provides a long-awaited stable version of the language, but there are many exciting possibilities for future versions of Haskell.The fourth Haskell Workshop will be held as part of the PLI 2000 colloquium on Principles, Logics, and Implementations of high-level programming languages in Montreal, 17th September 2000. Previous Haskell Workshops have been held in Paris (1999), Amsterdam (1997) and La Jolla (1995). Following on from these workshops, a special issue of the Journal of Functional Programming will be devoted to Haskell. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:* Critiques of Haskell 98;* New proposals for Haskell;* Applications or case studies;* Programming techniques;* Reasoning about programs;* Semantic issues;* Pedagogical issues;* Implementation.Contributors to any of the Haskell workshops are invited to submit full papers to the special issue on Haskell, but submission is open to everyone. Submissions should be sent to guest editor (address below), with a copy to Nasreen Ahmad ([email protected]). Submitted articles should be sent in postscript format, preferably gzipped and uuencoded. In addition, please send, as plain text, title, abstract, and contact information. The submission deadline is 1st February 2001. For other submission details, please consult an issue of the Journal of Functional Programming or see the Journal's web pages.

scholarly journals Dynamic game semantics

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-60
Author(s):  
Norihiro Yamada ◽  
Samson Abramsky
Keyword(s):  
Programming Languages ◽  
Functional Programming ◽  
Operational Semantics ◽  
Dynamic Game ◽  
Standard Interpretation ◽  
Functional Programming Languages ◽  
Game Semantics ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Cartesian Closed Categories ◽  
Cartesian Closed

Abstract The present work achieves a mathematical, in particular syntax-independent, formulation of dynamics and intensionality of computation in terms of games and strategies. Specifically, we give game semantics of a higher-order programming language that distinguishes programmes with the same value yet different algorithms (or intensionality) and the hiding operation on strategies that precisely corresponds to the (small-step) operational semantics (or dynamics) of the language. Categorically, our games and strategies give rise to a cartesian closed bicategory, and our game semantics forms an instance of a bicategorical generalisation of the standard interpretation of functional programming languages in cartesian closed categories. This work is intended to be a step towards a mathematical foundation of intensional and dynamic aspects of logic and computation; it should be applicable to a wide range of logics and computations.

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