[m-dev.] For review: small addition to list.m

[Fergus Henderson]

On 03-Oct-2000, Ralph Becket <rbeck at microsoft.com> wrote:
> >From Fergus Henderson on 03/10/2000 16:48:52
> > > library/list.m:
> > > 	Added pred list__det_head_tail/3.
> > 
> > There's nothing wrong with that change (except that you forgot
> > to mention the new function in the NEWS file), but on principle I vote
> > against adding that one to the standard library, on the grounds that
> > we shouldn't add functions to the standard library unless they are
> > going to be widely used, and thus far I don't recall off-hand any
> > occaision on which I would have wanted to use list__det_head_tail/3.
> 
> Fergybaby, you're just doing it wrong!

Maybe...

> This sort of thing crops up all the time in my code.

OK, but if it only crops up in your code, then it should probably go
in "ralphs_lib" rather than in the standard library ;-)

> I vote this should go in

I guess that makes the vote count 1-1.
And I think tied votes have to remain with the status quo.
So you still need to find another supported ;-)

> since it's a natural companion for
> list__det_{head,tail}/1.

The counter-argument to that is that the same effect is easily
achievable using list__det_head/1 and list__det_tail/1, so there's
no need to add list__det_head_tail/1.

Cheers,
   Fergus "devil's advocate" Henderson ;-)

   (no, that has nothing to do with MS! ;-)

-- 
Fergus Henderson <fjh at cs.mu.oz.au>  |  "I have always known that the pursuit
WWW: <http://www.cs.mu.oz.au/~fjh>  |  of excellence is a lethal habit"
PGP: finger fjh at 128.250.37.3        |     -- the last words of T. S. Garp.
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