Re:Summer of Programming Languages
by pjmlp on Monday July 07, 2014 @02:35AM
(#7997406)
My experience with unit tests for dynamic languages as a replacement for proper static typing done at the compiler level, is that it just doesn't work.
Sure it works for the lonely coder or small shops, but as soon as the project scale increases anything goes.
Managers will push for features over unit tests, no one will refactor code without taking a few days with the caveat not all places will be touched and the team atrition will bring in new devolpers forced to read implementation code to be sure how to properly call the functions/methods.
Advanced static typed languages with HM type inference are a better option for large scale development.
Hence it may be that is harder to get funding for other types of research.
Other issue is that dynamic languages fo their very nature make tooling harder problem to solve, hence less interesting for many researchers, pressed with delivering quick results.
Sure it works for the lonely coder or small shops, but as soon as the project scale increases anything goes.
Managers will push for features over unit tests, no one will refactor code without taking a few days with the caveat not all places will be touched and the team atrition will bring in new devolpers forced to read implementation code to be sure how to properly call the functions/methods.
Advanced static typed languages with HM type inference are a better option for large scale development.
Hence it may be that is harder to get funding for other types of research.
Other issue is that dynamic languages fo their very nature make tooling harder problem to solve, hence less interesting for many researchers, pressed with delivering quick results.