Re: Practicality of functional and logic languages?

Mirek Benes <benes@dcse.fee.vutbr.cs> writes:
> I would like to know some opinions concerning functional and logic
> programming languages (Haskell, Miranda, ML / Prolog) and their practical
> usability for programming:
>
> [How useful are they for practical work?]

The functional, real-time language: Erlang, developed at the Ellemtel
Computer Science Lab has been used, among other things, for implementing
telephony applications. For more information read these two papers that
were presented at ISS-92 in Yokohama:

1. 'A Switching Software Architecture Prototype Using
      Real Time Declarative Language', M.Persson,K.Oedling,D.Eriksson

2. 'Prototyping Cordless Using Declarative Programming',
      A.Danne,John-Olof Bauner

|> * Are there any (comercially?) successful applications ...

Erlang will be used in commercial applications.

|> * How effective these applications are comparing with applications
|> written in classic procedural languages like Pascal?

It is impossible to give any general figures, it differs to much between
different applications. The interesting question is: Is it enough for the
application in question ? . For Telephony, the capacity of Erlang of today
is enough.

|> I want to start courses of these programming styles at the university,
|> so any opinions on the subject will clear up my situation.

It should be possible to receive an Erlang- acedemic/research license
for free (send a mail to erlang@erix.ericsson.se if you are interested).
--
/Tobbe (tobbe@erix.ericsson.se)
--

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