This is my go at the problem:
module Main where
import Control.Concurrent
import Data.IORef
-- From the Haskell wiki
primes :: [Integer]
primes = sieve [2..]
where sieve (p:xs) = p : sieve [x | x <- xs, x `mod` p /= 0]
producePrimes :: IORef [Integer] -> IO ()
producePrimes ref = go primes
where go (x:xs) = modifyIORef ref (\ys -> x:ys) >> go xs
go [] = error "Euclid was wrong!"
-- Calculate as much primes as possible in 't' picoseconds
getPrimes :: Int -> IO [Integer]
getPrimes t = do ref <- newIORef []
producer <- forkIO (producePrimes ref)
threadDelay t
killThread producer
readIORef ref
main = do ps <- getPrimes 1000000
print $ length ps
Or view my hpaste: http://hpaste.org/fastcgi/hpaste.fcgi/view?id=8782#a8782
If you run this a few times in GHCI you will find that it calculates
an increasingly large number of primes within the same time span. This
is because the previous results are retained. Compile and run or
restart GHCI for every run for accurate results.
On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 3:01 PM, Mitar
Hi!
Ups, missed save button and pressed send. ;-)
So I am not really sure if this is correct term for it but I am open to better (search) terms.
I am wondering if it is possible to make a time constrained computation. For example if I have a computation of an approximation of a value which can take more or less time (and you get more or less precise value) or if I have an algorithm which is searching some search-space it can find better or worse solution depending how much time you allow. So I would like to say to Haskell to (lazily, if it really needs it) get me some value but not to spend more than so much time calculating it.
One abstraction of this would be to have an infinity list of values and I would like to get the last element I can get in t milliseconds of computational time.
One step further would be to be able to stop computation not at predefined time but with some other part of the program deciding it is enough. So I would have a system which would monitor computation and a pure computation I would be able to stop. Is this possible? Is it possible to have a pure computation interrupted and get whatever it has computed until then?
How could I make this? Is there anything already done for it? Some library I have not found?
Of course all this should be as performance wise as it is possible.
So the best interface for me would be to be able to start a pure computation and put an upper bound on computation time but also be able to stop it before that upper bound. And all this should be as abstracted as it is possible.
Mitar _______________________________________________ Haskell-Cafe mailing list Haskell-Cafe@haskell.org http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/haskell-cafe