[Axiom-developer] Re: Openmath, Singular

[Jens Axel Søgaard]

Bill Page wrote:
> On October 3, 2005 4:37 AM Michael Brickenstein wrote:

> > My Openmath implementation is based on Python which is embedded
> > in Singular and plays together with the Singular interpreter 
> > nicely (can dynamically call all (a the moment nearly all)
> > interpreter and kernel functions). This is written by me and
> > not yet released officially. Python is in fact a strongly typed
> > language, which doesn't do implicit conversions (at default),
> > I only mention this, as I know that axiom focuses very much on
> > a type system. This basis will be improved (mainly bug fixing
> > in the next weeks).
>
> As I understand it Python is a dynamically typed language. To
> use the word "strong" seems a little miss-leading.

Most likely we just use the words differently, but I don't
see an inherent conflict between "dynamically" and "strong".


I consider a language "strongly typed" if there is an
guarantee that at runtime, it is not possible to use
an operation on operands with other types than the operand
expects - without getting an error.

If a language supports "static typing" it can be determined
at compile time whether a program contains a type error.

If a language is "dynamically typed" then values contain
type information that can be used to do type checking
at runtime.

I consider Scheme a language which is both dynamically
typed and strongly typed.


However, I am aware that not all use the words the same way
as I.

See also the Wikipedia article on "Strongly Typed" :

    <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strongly_typed>.

--
Jens Axel Søgaard