Re: Shared Generic Instance Code

[dewar@merv.cs.nyu.edu (Robert Dewar)]

Bob Duff said

<<I believe the term "thunk" then mutated, to mean a *single* procedure,
when passed (implicitly) as a parameter, by a compiler, to implicitly
implement some feature of a programming language.  That's how *I* used
the term.  I admit that it's a bastardization of the original usage, as
explained to me by Woodger.

Your usage of the term, as poking the called-address of a call
instruction (or jump instruction) is not familiar to me.  Do you have
any references that use it that way?  Let's hear some etymology for your
use of the term.>>


I don't really regard this as a mutation, to me a thunk is simply a
situation where an implicit procedure is passed. Yes Algol-60 call
by name sometimes involves two procedures for a parameter (but not
always).

I agree that the second usage is a peculiar mutation, I have never heard
it used before, whereas the first usage is widely understood.