Re: dynamic vs. static typing

[Joe Marshall <address@hidden>]

Ken Shan <ken@digitas.harvard.edu> writes:

> On 2003-11-24T11:44:32-0500, Joe Marshall wrote:
>> If there is no `identity' for the objects in the list, then the list
>> cannot be permuted (all `permutations' would be indistinguishable).
>
> You can permute the list without -knowing- how to compare the objects
> in the list for identity.  The caller of the permutation function may
> well know more about the objects in the list than the list permutation
> function needs to know.

Oh, I agree.  I was just covering my ass in case someone raised the
objection that you cannot meaningfully permute a list of identical
objects.  The long-running `discussion' on comp.lang.lisp vis-a-vis
static and dynamic typing has made me *extremely* careful about saying
certain things.