[haskell-cafe] Monad and kinds

[Jake Mcarthur]

On Sep 4, 2008, at 11:40 PM, Tim Chevalier wrote:

> But why not write your types like:
>          data Stream a = Cons a <Stream a>
>          data Vector3 a = Vector3 a a a
> in a hypothetical call-by-value language where the <> annotation
> denotes a lazily evaluated data structure? Does it matter? If it does,
> then why? If it doesn't, then what would you conclude about whether a
> language should encourage laziness or strictness?

It doesn't matter, and I don't think it says anything about whether we
should encourage lazy-by-default or strict-by-default.

Two lazy algorithms tend to compose well and result in a lazy
algorithm. A lazy algorithm can compose with a strict algorithm in two
different ways. One way is for the lazy algorithm to control the
strict algorithm, in which case the strict algorithm is either invoked
or not invoked, resulting in a lazy algorithm. The other way is for
the strict algorithm to control the lazy algorithm, in which case the
strict algorithm requests the data it needs from the lazy algorithm as
it needs it, resulting in a strict algorithm. Finally, two strict
algorithms may also compose, which results in a strict algorithm.

No matter how you slice it, none of the above scenarios are
necessarily bad. Each of the four permutations of laziness and
strictness for two composed algorithms are necessary for different
situations. Laziness and strictness work in tandem with each other to
construct whole programs.

We Haskellers like laziness by default because we find that it
encourages us to consider laziness to solve our problems more often
than in call-by-need languages, not because it is somehow "superior"
to strictness. That is the strongest argument I can think of to be
made in favor of lazy-by-default.

> both laziness and strictness exist in strict languages, as
> well. What if, as a thought experiment, you tried substituting
> "laziness" for "strictness" in that paragraph of your essay?

I think the same points would apply, honestly. Do you believe they
would change in some way?

- Jake McArthur