Fun with Erlang (was Re: Stand Alone Erlang for Windows. yet again)

[Alexander Williams]

On Wed, Mar 21, 2001 at 11:56:56AM -0600, Chris Pressey wrote:
> "If, for example, an ISDN handler is implemented using five different
> and related modules. These module should be given names such as:
> isdn_init, isdn_partb, isdn_..."
> 
>   -- http://www.erlang.se/doc/programming_rules.shtml

I'm well aware of this.  My problem is it rather, well, "sucks."
"Sucks" isn't too strong for this particular bit, I don't think.

Maybe I'm a living oddity, but I like tucking files into nice, neat
little directory-structures that mimic inheritance and such, so that I
know exactly what I'm looking at within any given point.  Such
hierarchies let multiple people be responsible for different bits,
even down to directory permissions (and, in this case, that's a
biggie).  They are, all in all, just really darn handy.

Python does the "right thing" here, I think.  You can import a
directory containing the proper initialization module filename and it
implies the whole structure on down as sub-modules.  Accessing deep
structures becomes easy.  Erlang's module system, especially given the
gen_* servers, doesn't have that same kind of innate simplicity.  That
makes it difficult to pursue things like the MU* project with certain
designs that, nevertheless, seem perfect for it.

-- 
Alexander Williams (thantos@REDACTED)               | In the End,
  "Blue Jester needs food."                             | Oblivion
  "Blue Jester needs fuku-wearing cuties."              | Always
  http://www.chancel.org                                | Wins