In CompSci classes while working on "hello world" programs, recursion is easy to understand, trivial to implement, and elegant in execution.

However in the real world with real applications (like incredibly complicated web browsers) recursion sometimes can be very complicated to understand, difficult to implement, and isn't always elegant in execution.

I think that's what he's meant.

Jeffrey.



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"He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself." -- Thomas Paine