[Shootout-list] ML OCaml?

[Brandon J. Van Every]

Incidentally, I object to http://igouy.port5.com/shoot/index.htm
representing OCaml as "ML OCaml."  OCaml is an active research language
and very different from Standard ML.  ML is a historical family of
languages, not a language standard with various dialects associated with
it.  "ML OCaml" is rather much like saying "Lisp MzScheme," simply
because Schemes have a historical relationship to lisp.  Actually it's
probably a lot like saying "C C++," or "C Objective-C," since OO is the
main thing that OCaml adds to the ML paradigm.  Except that, OCaml has
no backwards compatibility to SML.

The OCaml community is also rather distinct from the SML community, and
an order of magnitude larger in terms of forum traffic and
tools/libraries support.  I don't think OCaml-ites wish to be hobbled by
the perception that their language is "yet another academic ML, as
unpopular as all the other academic MLs."

I'd be happy if OCaml was simply designated as "OCaml," and the various
Standard MLs were designated as "SML Implementation," i.e. SML/NJ, SML
Mlton, SML Moscow, etc.  As I'm sure my personal happiness is not
anyone's concern, hopefully other OCaml folk will weigh in with their
opinions here.

Incidentally there are OCaml variants, such as GCaml and MetaOCaml.
These would be properly specified as "OCaml GCaml" and "OCaml
MetaOCaml," if anyone wanted to bench them.


Cheers,                         www.indiegamedesign.com
Brandon Van Every               Seattle, WA

20% of the world is real.
80% is gobbledygook we make up inside our own heads.