• A style of computer programming in which algorithms are written in terms of types to-be-specified-later that are then instantiated when needed, for specific types provided as parameters. This approach, pioneered by the ML programming language in 1973, permits writing common functions or types that differ only in the set of types on which they operate when used, thus reducing duplication. The term “generic programming” was coined in 1989 by David Musser and Alexander Stepanov. ← Wikipedia

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