Using a Lazy Functional Language for Textual Information Retrieval

This paper describes a new implementation technique for index-assisted searching in a textual database: the use of a lazy functional programming language to describe high-level search strategies, combined with low-level implementation languages (such as C) for primitive index and text access. Our implementation, in the concrete context of the ARTFL database, demonstrates the feasibility of this approach. Some of its advantages and disadvantages are described. 1 Introduction and Motivation What programming languages are most appropriate for writing Information Retrieval Systems? This question has been very little discussed, but it is one of enormous practical importance. It seems that most working systems are implemented in low-level languages such as C, or even Assembly language, because their designers tend to think that the aspects of retrieval systems which are most crucial to performance, such as input/output, are best controlled by a low-level language. We suggest that high-level..

Funser: a Functional Server for Textual Information Retrieval

The paper describes a data-intensive application written in a lazy functional language: a server for textual information retrieval. The design illustrates the importance of interoperability, the capability of interacting with code written in other programming languages. Lazy functional programming is shown to be a powerful and elegant means of accomplishing several desirable concrete goals: delivering initial results promptly, using space economically, and avoiding unnecessary I/O. Performance results, however, are mixed. 1 Introduction Is it possible to write a "real" application in a pure functional language? This question has been asked many times, at conferences, on Internet newsgroups, and in papers, and perhaps the answer is beginning to be yes. This paper describes work that attempts to answer this question in the context of full-text information retrieval; for this kind of "real" application, we have found the answer to be, for now, maybe. The researchers at the Center for Inf..