newbie conceptual question [from haskell list]

[Hal Daume]

Hi,

Frank Atanassow wrote:
> D. Tweed wrote:
> > I've never written a Haskell program using functional dependencies, or
> > existential classes, ...
> 
> I find them indispensible, and I know for a fact that I am not the only one
> around our office who feels that way. Though, the people around here
> (Utrecht's software technology group) are not exactly typical programmers...
> :)

I've been recently experimenting quite a bit with existential classes
and somewhat less with functional dependencies, primarily to help my
understanding of the concepts.  However, I've yet to be able to think of
an appropriate place to use them in the "real world".  That is, in
something more than a toy thought-experiment.  Could you give some
examples of what you are using them for?

-- 
Hal Daume III

 "Computer science is no more about computers    | hdaume@isi.edu
  than astronomy is about telescopes." -Dijkstra | www.isi.edu/~hdaume