Let's consider how to interpet our new syntactic forms `newref`, `deref`, and `setref`:
-1. When `expr` evaluates to starting\_val, **newref expr** should allocate a new reference cell in the store and insert `starting_val` into that cell. It should return some "key" or "index" or "pointer" to the newly created reference cell, so that we can do things like:
+1. When `expr` evaluates to `starting_val`, **newref expr** should allocate a new reference cell in the store and insert `starting_val` into that cell. It should return some "key" or "index" or "pointer" to the newly created reference cell, so that we can do things like:
let ycell = newref 1
in ...
(* evaluate expr2 using original assignment function and new store *)
in eval expr2 g s''
+Note: Chris uses this kind of machinery on the third page of the Nov 22 handout. Except he implements `Let` the way we here implement `Change`. And he adds an implementation of `Alias` (see below). Some minor differences: on his handout (and following Groenendijk, Stockhof and Veltman), he uses `r` and `g` where we use `g` and `s` respectively. Also, he implements his `r` with a function from `char` to `int`, instead of a `(char * int) list`, as we do here. It should be obvious how to translate between these. His implementation requires that variables always already have an associated peg. So that when we call `Let(c, expr1, expr2)` for the first time with `c`, there's a peg whose value is to be updated. That's easier to ensure when you implement the assignment as a function than as a `(char * int) list`.
+
##How to implement mutation with a State monad##
Terminological note: in OCaml, `=` and `<>` express the qualitative (in)discernibility relations, also expressed in Scheme with `equal?`. In OCaml, `==` and `!=` express the numerical (non)identity relations, also expressed in Scheme with `eq?`. `=` also has other syntactic roles in OCaml, such as in the form `let x = value in ...`. In other languages, like C and Python, `=` is commonly used just for assignment (of either of the sorts we've now seen: `let x = value in ...` or `change x to value in ...`). The symbols `==` and `!=` are commonly used to express qualitative (in)discernibility in these languages. Python expresses numerical (non)identity with `is` and `is not`. What an unattractive mess. Don't get me started on Haskell (qualitative discernibility is `/=`) and Lua (physical (non)identity is `==` and `~=`).
- Note that neither of the equality predicates here being considered are the same as the "hyperequals" predicate mentioned above. For example, in the following (fictional) language:
+ Because of the particular way the numerical identity predicates are implemented in all of these languages, it doesn't quite match our conceptual expectations. For instance, For instance, if `ycell` is a reference cell, then `ref !ycell` will always be a numerically distinct reference cell containing the same value. We get this pattern of comparisons in OCaml:
+
+ ycell == ycell
+ ycell != ref !ycell (* true, these aren't numerically identical *)
+
+ ycell = ycell
+ ycell = ref !ycell (* true, they are qualitatively indiscernible *)
+
+ But now what about?
+
+ (0, 1, ycell) ? (0, 1, ycell)
+ (0, 1. ycell) ? (0, 1. ref !ycell)
+
+ You might expect the first pair to be numerically identical too---after all, they involve the same structure (an immutable triple) each of whose components is numerically identical. But OCaml's "physical identity" predicate `==` does not detect that identity. It counts both of these comparisons as false. OCaml's `=` predicate does count the first pair as equal, but only because it's insensitive to numerical identity; it also counts the second pair as equal. This shows up in all the other languages I know, as well. In Python, `y = []; (0, 1, y) is (0, 1, y)` evaluates to false. In Racket, `(define y (box 1)) (eq? (cons 0 y) (cons 0 y))` also evaluates to false (and in Racket, unlike traditional Schemes, `cons` is creating immutable pairs). They chose an implementation for their numerical identity predicates that is especially efficient and does the right thing in the common cases, but doesn't quite match our mathematical expectations.
+
+ Additionally, note that none of the equality predicates so far considered is the same as the "hyperequals" predicate mentioned above. For example, in the following (fictional) language:
let ycell = ref 1
in let xcell = ref 1
We use the `None`/`Some factorial` option type here just as a way to ensure that the contents of `fact_cell` are of the same type both at the start and the end of the block.
+* Now would be a good time to go back and review some material from [[week1]], and seeing how much we've learned. There's discussion back then of declarative or functional languages versus languages using imperatival features, like mutation. Mutation is distinguished from shadowing. There's discussion of sequencing, and of what we mean by saying "order matters."
+
+ In point 7 of the Rosetta Stone discussion, the contrast between call-by-name and call-by-value evaluation order appears (though we don't yet call it that). We'll be discussing that more in coming weeks. In the [[damn]] example, continuations and other kinds of side-effects (namely, printing) make an appearance. These too will be center-stage in coming weeks.
+
+* Now would also be a good time to read [[Advanced Topics/Calculator Improvements]]. This reviews the different systems discussed above, as well as other capabilities we can add to the calculators introduced in [week7](/reader_monad_for_variable_binding). We will be building off of that in coming weeks.
+
##Offsite Reading##