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The Computer Journal 1989 32(2):142-151; doi:10.1093/comjnl/32.2.142
© 1989 by British Computer Society
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Non-strict Languages – Programming and Implementation

S. C. Wray1 * ¶ and J. Fairbairn2 §

1 Olivetti Research Limited, 24a Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1QA, UK, 2 University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QG, UK

Non-strict evaluation improves the expressive power of functional languages at the expense of an apparent loss of efficiency. In this paper we give examples of this expressive power, taking as an example an interactive functional program and describing the programming techniques depending on non-strict evaluation which improved its design. Implementation methods for non-strict languages have delivered poor performance precisely when such programming techniques have been used. This need not be the case, however, and in the second part of the paper we describe Tim, a method of implementing non-strict languages for which the penalty for using lazy evaluation is very small.

Received November 1988.

* Olivetti Research Limited, 24a Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1QA

§ University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory, Pembroke Street, Cambridge CB2 3QG

To whom correspondence should be addressed.


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