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Implementation and application of functional languages, Date: 2008/09/10 - 2008/09/12, Location: Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

Publication date: 2008-09-10
Pages: 17 - 32

Pre-proceedings of the 20th International Symposium on Implementation and Application of Functional Languages

Author:

Wuille, Pieter
Schrijvers, Tom

Keywords:

functional programming, purity, data structures, complexity

Abstract:

Pure functional programming language offer many advantages over impure languages. Unfortunately, the absence of destructive update, imposes a complexity barrier. In imperative languages, there are algorithms and data structures with better complexity. We present our project for combining existing program transformation techniques to transform inefficient pure data structures into impure ones with better complexity. As a consequence, the programmer is not exposed to the impurity and retains the advantages of purity.