Dynamic

Strict Evaluation vs Non-Strict Evaluation

Developers should understand strict evaluation because it underpins the behavior of widely used languages, enabling predictable control flow, efficient resource usage in imperative programming, and straightforward debugging due to immediate execution meets developers should learn non-strict evaluation when working with functional programming languages like haskell or when optimizing performance in scenarios involving potentially expensive computations or infinite sequences. Here's our take.

🧊Nice Pick

Strict Evaluation

Developers should understand strict evaluation because it underpins the behavior of widely used languages, enabling predictable control flow, efficient resource usage in imperative programming, and straightforward debugging due to immediate execution

Strict Evaluation

Nice Pick

Developers should understand strict evaluation because it underpins the behavior of widely used languages, enabling predictable control flow, efficient resource usage in imperative programming, and straightforward debugging due to immediate execution

Pros

  • +It is essential for performance-critical applications, real-time systems, and scenarios where side effects (like I/O operations) must occur in a specific, deterministic sequence, such as in financial transactions or embedded systems
  • +Related to: lazy-evaluation, functional-programming

Cons

  • -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Non-Strict Evaluation

Developers should learn non-strict evaluation when working with functional programming languages like Haskell or when optimizing performance in scenarios involving potentially expensive computations or infinite sequences

Pros

  • +It is particularly useful for implementing efficient algorithms that process large or infinite data streams, such as in data pipelines or reactive programming systems, by deferring evaluation until results are required
  • +Related to: functional-programming, haskell

Cons

  • -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

Use Strict Evaluation if: You want it is essential for performance-critical applications, real-time systems, and scenarios where side effects (like i/o operations) must occur in a specific, deterministic sequence, such as in financial transactions or embedded systems and can live with specific tradeoffs depend on your use case.

Use Non-Strict Evaluation if: You prioritize it is particularly useful for implementing efficient algorithms that process large or infinite data streams, such as in data pipelines or reactive programming systems, by deferring evaluation until results are required over what Strict Evaluation offers.

🧊
The Bottom Line
Strict Evaluation wins

Developers should understand strict evaluation because it underpins the behavior of widely used languages, enabling predictable control flow, efficient resource usage in imperative programming, and straightforward debugging due to immediate execution

Disagree with our pick? nice@nicepick.dev