Typeful programming

Typeful programming (1989)

Cached

Download Links

by Luca Cardelli

Citations:

133 - 2 self

Versions

Version History

Metadata Version 1

Datum	Value	Source
TITLE	Typeful programming	INFERENCE
AUTHOR NAME	Luca Cardelli	SVM HeaderParse 0.2
AUTHOR AFFIL	Digital Equipment Corporation, Systems Research Center	SVM HeaderParse 0.2
AUTHOR ADDR	130 Lytton Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301	SVM HeaderParse 0.2
ABSTRACT	There exists an identifiable programming style based on the widespread use of type information handled through mechanical typechecking techniques. This typeful programming style is in a sense independent of the language it is embedded in; it adapts equally well to functional, imperative, object-oriented, and algebraic programming, and it is not incompatible with relational and concurrent programming. The main purpose of this paper is to show how typeful programming is best supported by sophisticated type systems, and how these systems can help in clarifying programming issues and in adding power and regularity to languages. We start with an introduction to the notions of types, subtypes and polymorphism. Then we introduce a general framework, derived in part from constructive logic, into which most of the known type systems can be accommodated and extended. The main part of the paper shows how this framework can be adapted systematically to cope with actual programming constructs. For concreteness we describe a particular programming language with advanced features; the emphasis here is on the combination of subtyping and polymorphism. We then discuss how typing concepts apply to large programs, made of collections of modules, and very large programs, made of collections of large programs. We also sketch how typing applies to system programming; an area which by nature escapes rigid typing. In summary, we compare the most common programming styles, suggesting that many of them are compatible with, and benefit from, a typeful discipline.	SVM HeaderParse 0.2
YEAR	1989	INFERENCE
VENUE TYPE	TECHREPORT	INFERENCE
PAGES	431--507	INFERENCE
TECH	Technical Report 45	INFERENCE
CITATIONS	21 found	ParsCit 1.0