sorted sparse containers (was Re: PDL-P: Re: Hooks for array notation (was Re: Ramblings on "baseclass" for SV etc.)

[David L. Nicol]

Dan Sugalski wrote:
 
> Strong typing and sparse arrays are orthogonal--no reason we shouldn't use
> them if someone does:
> 
>    $foo[time]
> 
> or something of the sort. (People like huge arrays with few scalars in
> them too... :)
> 
>                                         Dan

And for the inexperinced, arrays that are more than half undef would
transparently spring into existence as sparse



if we had several options available for underlying pstrings, (i do not
know what we currently use, but I think it is large blocks of contiguous memory)
for instance a n-tree with variously size buckets, the system would not only
make inline text substitutions possible without rewriting entire large blocks
(things like s/Nixon/Eisenhower/g) but it could be used for sorted containers
of all kinds.


A sorted container would , would, would better be posted to the language list.






-- 
                          David Nicol 816.235.1187 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
:wq