Re: Calculus versus algebra

In article <vafit2xnw8x.fsf_at_lucy.cs.uni-dortmund.de>, Kai Großjohann <Kai.Grossjohann_at_CS.Uni-Dortmund.DE> wrote:
>hidders_at_hcoss.uia.ac.be (Jan.Hidders) writes:
>
>> Actually it's exactly the other way around. If you look at research
>> literature for functional programming languages (and also XML) and
>> query/program optimization where lists are manipulated you will see
>> that they rarely use the algebra approach and usually the calculus
>> approach. If you want me to I can give you some pointers.
>
>That would be really great.

Early work that I really like was work by Leonidas Fegaras. Look at:

  http://citeseer.nj.nec.com/fegaras98optimizing.html

Related works is that by Val Tannen and Peter Buneman, e.g.,

  http://citeseer.nj.nec.com/breazu-tannen91structural.html

and maybe even more importantly a tutorial he gave on collection languages:

  http://citeseer.nj.nec.com/tannen94tutorial.html

which contains lots of references. It already mentions the work by Philip Wadler who is now a big name in XML land. For his early work in functional programming see:

  http://citeseer.nj.nec.com/wadler92comprehending.html

and compare it to how it is applied to XML:

  http://citeseer.nj.nec.com/382326.html

> Maybe we're both missing one half of the
> research: I only know about the algebraic approach and you only know
> about the calculus approach :-)

Er, what makes you think I don't know the research on the algebraic approach? :-)

• Jan Hidders