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Re: Dynamic binding and Latex to PDF

Luca Cardelli wrote:

> Before anybody rushes to revive dynamic scoping, I would like to point
> out that there is a difference between dynamic scoping and dynamic
> binding. The Ambient Calculus formalized dynamic binding (in the sense
> of, e.g., dynamically linking and unlinking program modules or
> agents/servers) within a perfectly normal lexically scoped calculus.
> 
> You are absolutely right, though, that dynamic binding is of fundamental
> importance, and that there is virtually no programming language that
> supports it with specific constructs.
> 
> Luca

We have found that for some kinds of compositional abstractions, dynamic
scoping is very convenient, though lexical scoping is what you usually want.
We have found what we think is a nice compromise in Piccola, where you can
have "dynamic scoping on demand".  (Really dynamic binding masquerading as
dynamic scoping?)

See our paper "Explicit Namespaces":

http://www.iam.unibe.ch/~scg/cgi-bin/oobib.cgi?query=Ache00b&abstract=yes

There is more on Piccola available at:

http://www.iam.unibe.ch/~scg/Research/Piccola/

We have been working on a CHAM-like semantics (up to now we have been
translating to pi), but this work has not yet been published.  In the CHAM
we model namespaces/environments as first-class entities.  This gives us the
chance to model both dynamic binding and dynamic scoping (as we understand
them).

BTW, I personally would be happier to see more Latex documents converted to
screen-friendly PDF files so I don't have to print them (and kill more trees
than necessary).  There are some nice tools now for converting Latex to PDF,
and we have had good success with them.  See, for example:

http://gemini.iti.informatik.tu-darmstadt.de/~kehr/doc/TeX2PDF/TeX2PDF.html

or

http://www.google.com/search?q=tex+pdf

Can I encourage everybody to convert their electronic publications to PDF so
that they can more easily be viewed on-line (and more reliably on multiple
platforms)?

Kind regards,
Oscar Nierstrasz
---
Prof. Dr. O. Nierstrasz    -- Oscar.Nierstrasz@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Software Composition Group -- http://www.iam.unibe.ch/~scg
On sabbatical at Titech    -- W8-1107 Tel/Fax: +81 3 5734.3491


  
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