If you had to, say, add a list of numbers together, without averaging them, would your first thought be to go searching for a package, given that you know some languages have a 'sum' function? Some languages have an 'add' function (separate from the operator) - would you go looking for a package to supply an add function if you (say) needed to pass it to reduce?
No, because if this isn't in the standard library (or a very simple one-liner from standard library functions like "fold +") then I don't want to be working in this language.
If I have to work in this language, and I'm allowed to bring in packages, I'd go look for the community's attempt at fixing the standard library, or at least a "math" package, particularly if there were lots of other basic math functions I'd have to do myself. If it's really just this, I'll probably paste a Stackoverflow answer.
Could I come up with it myself? Yes, but thinking through the pitfalls of the implementations of basic math operations is not a good use of time.
What would you do if your language didn't have exponentiation?
Sorry, can I get this straight, we're talking about sum() now, right? I'm genuinely amazed.
> thinking through the pitfalls of the implementations of basic math operations is not a good use of time
I suppose there's a trade off, at some point it is less time to find, check, and invest in a package rather than write its contents. For lots of cases it is definitely faster to use a package. But we're talking about averaging a list of numbers here, or adding them, right? Doesn't this strike you as rather bizarre to be having this discussion over things you should be able to write trivially?
> What would you do if your language didn't have exponentiation?
It depends what I need it for and what kind of exponentiation. I'd use inline exponentiation by small positive integers. I'd be concerned if my team were writing pow(x, 2) + pow(y, 2), for example. If I needed fractional exponentiation (e.g. pow(k, 3.567)), then I know that's beyond the realm of something that could be implemented in a couple of lines. If the language didn't have it, I might write it, certainly, especially if it wasn't part of a bigger suite of functionality I need.
That you think averaging a list of numbers qualifies as a 'feature' you might add to a codebase is rather the surprising thing about your response. I'm aware I'm coming over rather arsey, and that isn't intended, I'm just surprised to find someone actually defend the attitude, generally, that says a trivial calculation should be either a) provided, or you're not going to use the language, or b) put in a package to mean you don't have to spend 'the time' writing it, while at the same time saying you don't care what is in those implementations.
I mean, it doesn't matter to me, obviously. You can choose to have whatever criteria for taking a job you like, and I can have whatever criteria I like for my hires. I'm just surprised. Sorry If I've come over argumentative or grandstanding.
