Abstract Collections vs. FunDeps

[Robert Will]

On Tue, 23 Mar 2004, Malcolm Wallace wrote:
>
> Multi-parameter type classes, as used in your proposal, are also a
> language extension.  Every implementation that supports MPTC also
> supports fundeps.

Hair-splitting reply: MPTC are not an extension, but the suppression of a
restriction.  Not being restricted to one TC parameter is also a
simplification in some sense...  FunDeps, otoh, are a completely new
concept.

Honest reply: I don't fully understand FunDeps and I don't want to learn
(now), since the Collections should also be understandable for people less
intelligent than me.  (This is a design criterion used throughout, and I
think my not-too-high intelligence has made this one of the Collection's
success factors!)

Well, that clarifies also some other issues.  Nevertheless I didn't dare
to write that in the "official rationale".  Perhaps I should.

Oh, and I also think of people who are more intelligent than me, but who
have better things to do than learning a lot of new language concepts,
when all they want is to solve their application problem.  (This is an
official design criterion.)

Robert