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0 pointsprotonfish5y ago0 comments

Please don't use weak/strong to denote type systems. Those terms are highly subjective and even non-technical people would quickly form an opinion about which is better. (Strong is good, weak is bad.) Static/dynamic is more accurate and less opinionated terminology.

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albntomat05y ago

They are not the same, at least according to the definitions I'm familiar with.

Static/dynamic is whether type checking is done at compile time or run type.

Strong/weak is how flexible the language is with type conversion.

Another explanation: https://en.hexlet.io/courses/intro_to_programming/lessons/ty...

nafey5y ago

Are these dimensions orthogonal though? For example is there any Strongly typed dynamic language?

elbear5y ago

Python is considered strongly typed, but usually it's placed in opposition with PHP or JavaScript. That's why I don't understand why the previous poster used strongly typed. The conversation was about static and dynamic programming languages.

rowanG0775y ago

Yes. Completely orthogonal.

Strongly typed dynamic: Python

Weakly typed dynamic: Javascript

Strongly typed static: Haskell

Weakly typed static: C

teddyh5y ago

I think Python is mentioned as the usual example.

JAlexoid5y ago

Static vs dynamic is not for type checking, it's about conversion.

As in:

Static typing - 1 == "1" is false (Python style, integer isn't converted to string for comparison)

Dynamic typing - 1 == "1" is true (PHP style, integer or string may be converted)

albntomat05y ago

Where are you getting your definitions from? What you posted is what I understand to be weak vs strong.

JAlexoid5y ago

Barbara Liskov defines strong typing as a compiler feature that prevents wrong type usage.

Liskov, B; Zilles, S (1974). "Programming with abstract data types".

http://web.cs.iastate.edu/~hridesh/teaching/362/07/01/papers...

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albntomat05y ago

They are not the same, at least according to the definitions I'm familiar with.

Static/dynamic is whether type checking is done at compile time or run type.

Strong/weak is how flexible the language is with type conversion.

Another explanation: https://en.hexlet.io/courses/intro_to_programming/lessons/ty...

nafey5y ago

Are these dimensions orthogonal though? For example is there any Strongly typed dynamic language?

elbear5y ago

rowanG0775y ago

Yes. Completely orthogonal.

Strongly typed dynamic: Python

Weakly typed dynamic: Javascript

Strongly typed static: Haskell

Weakly typed static: C

teddyh5y ago

I think Python is mentioned as the usual example.

JAlexoid5y ago

Static vs dynamic is not for type checking, it's about conversion.

As in:

Static typing - 1 == "1" is false (Python style, integer isn't converted to string for comparison)

Dynamic typing - 1 == "1" is true (PHP style, integer or string may be converted)

albntomat05y ago

Where are you getting your definitions from? What you posted is what I understand to be weak vs strong.

JAlexoid5y ago

Barbara Liskov defines strong typing as a compiler feature that prevents wrong type usage.

Liskov, B; Zilles, S (1974). "Programming with abstract data types".

http://web.cs.iastate.edu/~hridesh/teaching/362/07/01/papers...

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse