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From: Neil Wilson <neil@aldur.demon.co.uk>
Newsgroups: comp.object,comp.lang.beta,comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.eiffel,comp.lang.python,comp.lang.sather,comp.lang.smalltalk
Subject: Re: Rapid Prototyping + statically-typed OOPLs?
Followup-To: comp.object,comp.lang.beta,comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.eiffel,comp.lang.python,comp.lang.sather,comp.lang.smalltalk
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 1995 19:34:31 GMT
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Bob Hutchison (hutch@RedRock.com) wrote:
: I've also noticed that I have so far been
: able to take the results of the prototype and implement them in Eiffel
: with very little difficulty, much less than I expected.

It is this translation step that bothers me. What is the magnitude of
effort required to translate from experimental system to production
system? Translation usually introduces defects if done by humans (and
sometimes even if done by computer). How is the level of quality
maintained?

Does using an exploratory language instead of a production language
actually save the time required for subsequent translation? Why bother
translating at all?

When you're experimenting with the exploratory language is it the entire
system or just a sub-section you usually work on?

I suppose I ought to consider myself lucky, but I've never been in a
situation where I couldn't at least identify the generic pattern the
system or at least part of the system conforms too. I've been in some
chaotic situations (Black on Monday, White on Tuesday, etc.) but never
where I felt the need to alter a program or an inheritance structure in
mid-execution.

I do appreciate that there are times a quick turnaround time is top of
the list of requirements and is a lesson that many implementations of
statically-typed languages have yet to learn. Another thread on
comp.lang.eiffel is (hopefully) addressing this very issue w.r.t Eiffel.

-- 
Neil Wilson (neil@aldur.demon.co.uk)		...Arrive without travelling,
Ossett, Yorkshire, UK				   see all without looking...