[SavantIdiot]

Ah, I see. I can't reply to that thread anymore, but it sounds like a combinator is like a first-class YACC grammar in the functional language that obviates the need to write the parser. That's really cool, thanks. I'll read up on it more.

[a_lost_needle]

Yea, that’s pretty accurate. So now I’m curious what you thought the site was named after?

Edit: It’s not that accurate. It’s just math used in a way to compose parsers using parsers.

[SavantIdiot]

Never gave it a moment's thought. Now after Googling it, I still wouldn't know because I don't program LISP (well I haven't since 1986, but that was only an intro in college). Interesting to read about it.

[a_lost_needle]

You can use most of the concepts in any language that allows first class functions, closures, pattern matching and types. Combinators are just ways to compose a function to create a new function that executes some aspect upon a set (usually).