Re: Securing a future for anonymous functions in Python

From: Paul Rubin (//phr.cx_at_NOSPAM.invalid)
Date: 01/07/05 

Date: 07 Jan 2005 04:12:54 -0800

"Anna" <annaraven@gmail.com> writes:
> Having taken some calculus (derivatives, limits, some integrals) but
> never even heard of lambda calculus, to me, lambda means absolutely
> NOTHING. Less than nothing.

Lambda calculus is from mathematical logic, but more to the point
"lambda" has been the term used in Lisp for this operation since time
immemorial. Since the kinds of programmers who want to use anonymous
functions have probably been exposed to Lisp at one time or another,
"lambda" should not cause any confusion.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: please recommend book or web page on beginners lambda calculus
    ... Even this is not "standard" lambda calculus, ... The problem is that there's no single universal syntax for lambda ... Languages", and the manuscript for Pierce's "Types and Programming ... lambda calculus as nowadays used in programming language semantics. ...
    (comp.lang.functional)
  • Re: calling compiled lambda forms
    ... birth of Lisp, but was early enough that the insight might help, that ... and lambda expressions are not a special case. ... It didn't matter anyway about evaluating to an object, though, because ... objects were blurred somewhat in the lambda calculus. ...
    (comp.lang.lisp)
  • Re: Securing a future for anonymous functions in Python
    ... >>never even heard of lambda calculus, to me, lambda means absolutely ... Python's other English-based keywords. ... Python has a reputation as "executable pseudocode". ...
    (comp.lang.python)
  • Re: [SOLUTION][QUIZ] FizzBuzz (#126) [solution #2]
    ... to a pure lambda calculus, building up numbers, strings, ... So I started revising my lambda ... Using your Ruby Church numerals is it possible to test for equality? ...
    (comp.lang.ruby)
  • Re: is forth a functional language?
    ... The rules just says that from expressions A, ... and constants, AB can be formed, plus the lambda construction ... The rules that lambda calculus provides are but the common sense rules ... Ask any mathematician if he gets anything else! ...
    (comp.lang.functional)