[erlang-questions] erlang for programming a text editor

[Robert Virding]

2009/11/1 Joe Armstrong <erlang@REDACTED>

> On Sun, Nov 1, 2009 at 6:54 AM, Jayson Vantuyl <kagato@REDACTED> wrote:
> > Ted,
> >
> > Well, if I were doing this, I probably wouldn't do it in Erlang.  Text
> > handling in Erlang is byzantine at best, so an editor very well could be
> an
> > exercise in pain.
>
> I beg to differ.
>
> In my opinion Erlang is brilliant at handling text - text is stored in
> lists and list processing is blindingly fast and there are large
> numbers of library functions
> that work on lists. A very unpainful experience.
>

Joe is absolutely right here. The problem is not the lack of traditional
string handling, the problem is not realising how powerful and easy it is to
use lists instead. It is necessary to "think outside the box"* of strings.

Robert

* That is a terrible expression but I couldn't think of a better one just
now.