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From: "Ayende Rahien" <Dont@spam.me>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: Problem trying to implement generics.
Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 22:44:23 +0200
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"Dmitry A. Kazakov" <dmitry@elros.cbb-automation.de> wrote in message
news:3AD9A697.8080402@elros.cbb-automation.de...
>
>
> 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.

Do you mean that it's similar to const fucntions in C++?

> 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>];

Well, I certainly agree with your point here.