[Haskell-cafe] Function to cast types

[John Dorsey]

Rafael Cunha de Almeida wrote:

> This e-mail is offtopic, but I suppose being a little offtopic every now
> and then isn't that bad, specially if the subject is interesting. So,
> here I go.

It's the cafe'.  Very little is strictly off-topic here, and certainly
not this.

I'm happy to help anyone who's trying to learn, but I will not willingly
subvert anyone's classroom rules, as a matter of academic honesty.  I
think that matters at any level of school.  I accept that it can't be
enforced perfectly, or anywhere near so.

I didn't mean to accuse the original poster, and I trust I didn't come
accross that way.  I don't think it's a bad idea to point out that an
anonymous question like this one may look suspicious, or that many
instructors follow this forum.  None of that should give offense.

But I also provided some hints.  I think a good and fun way to help with
problems like that is to iteratively guide someone to their answer,
instead of giving it to them straight-up.

Just to be clear, I also have no criticism of the other replies.  Anyone
giving voluntary help should and will apply their own rules.

> The only reason people would want the answer of an assignment instead of
> actually doing it themselves is if they don't care about actually doing
> it. That is, they don't want to learn haskell, they just want to pass a
> class. In that case, do we really want to _make_ them learn?

In that case I have no interest in forcing them to learn or in helping
them get a grade.  But I'm always optimistic that someone's willing to
learn.  I've been proven wrong, but not often.

Cheers,
John