On 04/06/2017 04:15 AM, Tony Morris wrote:
By "length" here I mean, the function whose name is lima echo november golf tango hotel. I truly do not care what it is called. Follow the types, and the types of the types.
I think the nub of the matter is that the types (and the types of the types) (in a language like Haskell) actually are not enough. There are (literally) infinitely many functions with the same type as "length". One might argue that few of those make "sense", but that is always going to be a precarious argument unless the setting is made clear. More generally, if we were to extrapolate and truly refer to things by their full specification, then that would be very cumbersome indeed. By analogy, mathematical theorems are full specifications, and they usually have names. Names matter, at least to most people (I dare guess), and in particular when we rely on the names to convey missing information, as is the case with "length" given its (Haskell) type. Best, /Henrik This message and any attachment are intended solely for the addressee and may contain confidential information. If you have received this message in error, please send it back to me, and immediately delete it. Please do not use, copy or disclose the information contained in this message or in any attachment. Any views or opinions expressed by the author of this email do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of Nottingham. This message has been checked for viruses but the contents of an attachment may still contain software viruses which could damage your computer system, you are advised to perform your own checks. Email communications with the University of Nottingham may be monitored as permitted by UK legislation.