[om] DefMP elements

[Professor James Davenport]

On Wed, 3 Dec 2003, Bill Naylor wrote:
> 1) Dissallowing self reference during a defining FMP, therefore
> dissallowing recursive definition.
Quite so, in a defining FMP. An evaluating FMP does allow recursive 
references. The distinction is made so that a system knows whether the 
expansion of the FMP will always terminate, or will only terminate on 
concrete nstances (and therefore, if the instance is not concrete, a 
fixed-point operator will be required, which is probably beyond the scope 
of most OM-capable applications. 
> 2) Dissallowing multiple defining FMPs, therefore dissallowing different
> but logically equivalent FMPs, e.g. a definition in terms of integrals
> versus a definition in terms of recurence relations.
One could have several FMPs, but the point of the unique defining one is 
that the author of the CD is saying that this particular FMP can be used 
to eliminate this concept in favour of "simpler" ones.
James
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