# unlambda in k

## stevan apter — 2003-08-13 12:27:54

    perhaps a bit off-topic -

    over the weekend i wrote a k interpreter for david madore's

    unlambda language -

    http://www.eleves.ens.fr:8080/home/madore/programs/unlambda

    i used an idea of russell simmons in his approach to writing

    an O(1) joy.  i don't know how else i would have been able to

    implement call/cc (which i now understand -- finally!) or

    lazy evaluation.  thanks russ!

    i haven't finished the paper yet, but the code works:

    http://www.nsl.com/papers/unlambda.htm

    now for a joy implementation -- do i see any hands?  :)

## phimvt@lurac.latrobe.edu.au — 2003-08-14 09:16:58

    On Wed, 13 Aug 2003, stevan apter wrote:

     > perhaps a bit off-topic -

     not at all

     > over the weekend i wrote a k interpreter for david madore's

    > unlambda language -

     amazing, amazing

    [...]

     > now for a joy implementation -- do i see any hands?  :)

     From the Joy community, screams of protest, howls of indignation:

    "What? unlambda uses function application everywhere, and we know

    that function application is bad for the brain. In Joy we now have

    function composition instead, and that allows concatenative notation.

    Implement unlambda in Joy? Never! Reintroduce function application

    through the back door? No, never ever!"

    But seriously, I would like to look at the SK combinators for a

    conctenative language again some time. I must reread Brent Kirby's work.

      - Manfred