Comment by redbar0n

`bend` is a convenience syntax that "just creates an in-place recursive function, immediately calls it with an initial state, and then assigns the end result to a local variable" ... "in a single statement, rather than needing to name a separate external auxilliary function that you'll only use once", according to the original author on Twitter: https://x.com/VictorTaelin/status/1791964640533958924 and https://x.com/VictorTaelin/status/1791996185449791932

But contrary to this, I think explicitly separating function declaration and function calling, in the following kind of syntax, would make it much clearer and less complected where the initial condition `tree = fork(0)` comes from. In the original example it came from `bend x = 0`, but here the function declaration is separate and the call more explicit: so it more obviously comes from `createTree(0)`:

    type Tree
      Branch { left, right }
      Leaf { value }

    def main():

      createTree(x):
        x < 3 ?
          Tree.Branch { left: createTree(x+1), right: createTree(x+1) }
        Tree.Leaf { value: 7 }

      createTree(0)

Besides not needing a local variable `tree` here, the unique thing here is the elimination of the else-clause, to reduce unnecessary nesting, and a rule that the language just early returns the last result of any nested condition. If it doesn't go into any nested condition, then it just returns the last result in the main function body (like Ruby). Without any `return` keywords needed in either case. Wouldn't this be quite beautiful?