[Haskell-cafe] deriving

[Anton van Straaten]

Hans Aberg wrote:
> There are two processes here: deriving, i.e., inheriting an interface; 
> and instantiating, i.e., producing running code. Haskell denotes 
> derivation by "=>". And "data <a> deriving (b_1, ..., b_k)" is really a 
> short for
>   data <a>
>   instance b_1 where <compiler implementation>
>   ...
>   instance b_k where <compiler implementation>
> 
> So "instance" seems the word that should have been used.

How about making "deriving x" an expression which means:

   instance x where <compiler implementation>

This innovative solution will minimize changes to the Haskell compiler, 
documentation, and programmer's brains.

Seriously, there's only so much connotational meaning you can pack into 
  or extract from a keyword.  Ultimately, programming language keywords 
follow the rule given by Humpty Dumpty:

"When _I_ use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither 
more nor less."

Anton