Re: introspection in SML

Jon Harrop schrieb:
> Joachim Durchholz wrote:
>> Though I don't expect memory hogs like word processors and browsers to
>> make that transition anytime soon.
> 
> For all intents and purposes, that transition is already complete. One
of
> the chapters in F# for Scientists describes how you can remote control
> Excel from your F# code, for example. The whole of MS Office provides
> extensive .NET interoperability.

Well, unless it's written in a .net language, with a .net DLL that might 
get inlined into application code if the optimizer so chooses, it's 
still not a first-class citizen of the .net world.
Not that having that interoperability isn't a good move from a "I need 
Office interoperability" perspective (which certainly makes sense in an 
MS-dominated world, both for MS and for people using their products).

>> To take real advantage of the new 
>> environment, you'd need a rewrite, and it will take some time until
>> anybody manages to allocate the resources to that one.
> 
> Microsoft's .NET is not new: it is moving into version 3.5 and most
people
> already migrated.

Really? My Win 2K still lives with a 2.0 runtime.
Seems like the Linux world is more stable. (Not a surprise though.)

>> (Besides, .net is a proprietary dead end. Manuel de Icaza has been
>> repeating that Mono won't be suable and MS is even helping them to get
>> Mono working...
> 
> Sure. Among open source developers, only academics would have the
know-how
> to create something like a .NET run-time but academics cannot afford to
> write such things because it is not research.
> 
> The Open Source world will never be able to compete with Microsoft in
this
> arena.

Predictions that contain the word "never" are those with the highest 
failure rate, so be careful ;-)

Regards,
Jo