undefined | Better HN

story

0 pointschowells3y ago0 comments

The execution model needs something that actually drives execution. There needs to be something that explains how IO actions are actually run. The state approach kind of works until you need to explain multiple threads, then it falls over.

Edward Kmett did some work to describe IO as an external interpreter working through a free monad. That approach provides very neat semantics that include multiple threads and FFI easily.

But IO needs something to make it go, and that something needs capabilities that aren't necessary for the evaluation model.

0 comments

a13692099933y ago

> The execution model needs something that actually drives execution.

Er, yes: specifically, execution is drivenby trying to pull the final RealWorld token out of a expression along the lines of `runState (RealWorld#) (main)`, which requires the evaluation of (the internal RealWorld -> (RealWorld,a) functions of) IO actions provided by FFI functions (hence why you need FFI to have anything useful (or more accurately, side-effectual) to execute).

> until you need to explain multiple threads

I don't. It's a terrible idea that's effectively the apotheosis of premature (and ill-targeted) optimization as the root of all evil.