Re:Zoo of Array Languages
by kelas on Thursday October 16, 2025 @07:52AM
(#45604259)
exactly.
the complexity is built differently in k.
* namespaces do exist, and are just as useful as they are in C++ and especially my beloved *sun.misc.unsafe*. i recommend.
* instead of passing 20 arguments to a function (which is impossible - the limit is lower), we pass a dictionary if we have to. k **pretends** that everything is passed by value, but in reality it is much smarter than that.
* notion of **scopes** is a bit of a non-sequitur here, but it is fundamentally important that there is *no lexical scoping* in k. the only two scopes which are available from the scope of a function are exactly **local** and **global**. and for as long as your function doesn't mess around with global scope, it remains pure, which is super cool. this design is not just for simplicity - it is for a good reason, and more than one.
* the above doesn't mean that it is impossible to create a *closure* in k and pass it around as a value.
* functions take up to three implicit arguments - named x,y and z (they can be renamed explicitly, but why not just document their semantics instead, in-situ?). all you need to do to declare xyz is reference them in the function definition. in competent k code, you'll rarely see a function with more than xyz.
* in k community, we don't use upper case unless the apartment is on fire. god forbid.
* shorter names and more documentation, and there will be joy.
the complexity is built differently in k.