-allow-extension-for-bottom

Serge D. Mechveliani mechvel at botik.ru
Mon Oct 11 07:22:22 EDT 2004


Dear Haskell implementors,

Consider the compilation flag  -allow-extension-for-bottom

which changes the language meaning so that allows to ignore
the bottom value. For example, the programs

   (1)   (\ x -> (if p x then  foo (g x)  else  foo (h x)) )
and
   (2)   (\ x -> foo ((if p x then  g x  else  h x)) )

become equivalent, and many program transformations become 
possible.
I suspect that after compiling and running of a program under
-allow-extension-for-bottom  the user will discover many helpful
information about the original program.
For example, under  -allow-extension-for-bottom  it may run 1000 
times faster, and then, the user finds out what to change to have 
a 1000 times speed-up for the original program for the standard 
Haskell. 

Thus, in my particular practical example, it is evident to me that 
it is better to specify (2). But many similar effects are hard to 
find out without compiling under  -allow-extension-for-bottom.

Maybe, the compiler could issue the warnings like, say,

  "Consider factoring `if' in ...   This may improve ... "
?

Copy, please, the answer to  mechvel at botik.ru,

-----------------
Serge Mechveliani
mechvel at botik.ru
 





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