Newsgroups: comp.lang.eiffel,comp.lang.ada,comp.lang.c++,comp.lang.smalltalk,comp.lang.objective-c,comp.object
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!rochester!cornellcs!newsstand.cit.cornell.edu!portc01.blue.aol.com!portc02.blue.aol.com!howland.erols.net!news.sprintlink.net!news-stk-200.sprintlink.net!svr1.pdx.gstis.net!news.aloha.net!news-w.ans.net!newsfeeds.ans.net!news.phx.mcd.mot.com!schbbs!news
From: shang@corp.mot.com (David L. Shang)
Subject: Re: Combining dynamic and static typing
Reply-To: shang@corp.mot.com
Organization: MOTOROLA 
Date: Mon, 27 Jan 1997 22:01:11 GMT
Message-ID: <1997Jan27.220111.22461@schbbs.mot.com>
References: <E4G92y.1CD@syd.csa.com.au>
Sender: news@schbbs.mot.com (SCHBBS News Account)
Nntp-Posting-Host: 129.188.128.126
Lines: 26
Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.lang.eiffel:17820 comp.lang.ada:56648 comp.lang.c++:243578 comp.lang.smalltalk:50165 comp.lang.objective-c:6297 comp.object:60426

In article <E4G92y.1CD@syd.csa.com.au> donh@syd.csa.com.au (Don Harrison)  
writes:
> Dynamic and static typing both seem to have their place. Devotees of the  
former
> extol the virtues of rapid development and devotees of the latter praise
> its greater reliability.
> 
> What I'm wondering is whether it would be useful to have a development 
> environment in which you had the option of using either. For example,
> you may choose to write a system that may be completely dynamically-typed,
> or partly dynamic and partly static, or completely static. For increased 
> reliability, the development environment would come along after and fill in 
> the missing types for you. It might do this by type inference and by using
> data retained from individual executions. Inferred types might be displayed 
> in a different colour in a visual programming environment and, if confirmed 
> by the developer, displayed as though the developer had supplied them.
> 
> I know Cecil allows combined some form of dynamic/static typing but I'm not
> sure how it works.

For comprehensive technology of combining dynamic and static typing,
you may check the Transframe language at http://www.transframe.com
at the Technology/RapidDevelopment page. For technical detail, you
may check the page Research/TransframeLanguage.

David Shang
