Re:Rob Pike's 5 Rules of Programming
by embedding-shape on Wednesday March 18, 2026 @09:55AM
(#47425857)
> Perlis is saying "don't choose the right data structure, shoehorn your data into the most popular one"
I don't take it like that. A map could be the right data structure for something people typically reach for classes to do, and then you get a whole bunch of functions that can already operate on a map-like thing for free.
If you take a look at the standard library and the data structures of Clojure you'd see this approach taken to a somewhat extreme amount.
I don't take it like that. A map could be the right data structure for something people typically reach for classes to do, and then you get a whole bunch of functions that can already operate on a map-like thing for free.
If you take a look at the standard library and the data structures of Clojure you'd see this approach taken to a somewhat extreme amount.