Wednesday 25 April 2007

Do you want macros with that?

From an introduction to Scheme by Ken Hickey (my emphasis):
Just as functions are semantic abstractions over operations, macros are textual abstractions over syntax. Managing complex software systems frequently requires designing specialized "languages" to focus on areas of interest and hide superfluous details. Macros have the advantage of expanding the syntax of the base language without making the native compiler more complex or introducing runtime penalties.
Beautifully expressed. I say, "just give me the power, already", which most programming languages -- with honorable exceptions -- withhold.

Probably not everyone should be playing with this kind of power, but while I do not allow my 3-year-old son light the candles, I hope that one day he will have the maturity and coordination
to do the job. At that time I assume that matches will be available.

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