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From: "Dmitry A. Kazakov" <dmitry@elros.cbb-automation.de>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: Problem trying to implement generics.
Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 15:48:07 +0200
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Ayende Rahien wrote:

> "Dmitry A. Kazakov" <dmitry@elros.cbb-automation.de> wrote in message
> news:3AD858A3.3070803@elros.cbb-automation.de...
> 
>> Well, but what I still cannot understand, what is the objection against
>> *procedures* returning a value:
>  
> Because that is the difference between functions & procedures?

The difference between them is that a function may (supposedly) have no 
side effects and hence no [in]out parameters. Function is (I am trying 
to follow rigorous point of view) an attempt to model mathematical mappings.

Procedure is a more general thing than function, so it is not clear why 
it may not have a dedicated out parameter called result:

procedure <name> [<parameter-list>] [return <result-type>];

Regards,
Dmitry Kazakov