Programming Languages: Concepts and Implementation

5.11 Languages and Software Engineering

Programming languages that support

• the construction of abstractions, and

• ease of program modification

also support

• ongoing development of a malleable program design, and

• the evolution of a prototype into product.

Let us unpack these aspects of software development.

5.11.1 Building Blocks as Abstractions

An objective of this chapter is to demonstrate the ease with which data structures (e.g., binary trees) and reusable programming abstractions (e.g., higher-order functions) are constructed in a functional style of programming. While Lisp is a simple (e.g., only two types: atom and S-list) and small language with a consistent and uniform syntax, its capacity for power and flexibility is vast, and these ...