Combinator library gets software prize

[Timothy Docker]

 > Am I the only one who finds the exclusive emphasis on combinator
 > languages slightly disappointing (in fact, the article seems to equate
 > functional language with domain-specific combinator languages, which is
 > more than a bit mistleading)?

What declarative approach(es) (other than combinators) are you
referring to here?

 > The consequence (and the intention, as far as one can gather from the
 > paper) of the limitation to combinators is that this language can and
 > will be used mainly in non-functional languages, not inheriting all
 > that much from a functional style of programming. The same will
 > probably hold for any communication standards based on it.

Why is that? I'm new to the functional programming world, and haven't
reallystruck the concept of combinator libraries elsewhere. I assumed
they were largely a functional programming concept. Even though I can
see how they could be implemented in imperative languages, it doesn't
seem that they would be a nice fit.

 > [Several interesting elided]

More generally, is there any more information or forums on declarative
approaches to financial engineering? I found this paper intriguing, as 
it focuses on both my current academic interests, and my work!

Tim