Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!feeder.erje.net!eu.feeder.erje.net!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed4a.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.003 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.99; '*S*': 0.00; 'languages.': 0.04; 'syntax': 0.04; 'c++,': 0.07; 'escape': 0.09; 'received:80.91': 0.09; 'received:80.91.229': 0.09; 'received:gmane.org': 0.09; 'received:list': 0.09; 'scripting': 0.09; 'constitutes': 0.16; 'forth.': 0.16; 'language?': 0.16; 'mapped': 0.16; 'message- id:@4ax.com': 0.16; 'objective-c,': 0.16; 'otoh,': 0.16; 'received:80.91.229.3': 0.16; 'received:plane.gmane.org': 0.16; 'language': 0.16; 'usability': 0.19; 'memory': 0.22; 'programming': 0.22; 'driver': 0.24; 'url:home': 0.24; 'java': 0.24; 'header:X-Complaints-To:1': 0.27; 'closer': 0.31; "d'aprano": 0.31; 'pascal': 0.31; 'steven': 0.31; 'languages': 0.32; 'candidate': 0.34; 'but': 0.35; 'charset:us-ascii': 0.36; "i'll": 0.36; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.38; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'received:org': 0.40; 'major': 0.40; 'even': 0.60; 'hardware': 0.61; 'new': 0.61; 'teaching': 0.64; 'serial': 0.72; 'felt': 0.74; 'subject:This': 0.74; 'me;': 0.84; 'stretch': 0.91; 'differences': 0.93; 'received:108': 0.93 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: python-list@python.org From: Dennis Lee Bieber Subject: Re: OT: This Swift thing Date: Sat, 07 Jun 2014 11:23:49 -0400 Organization: IISS Elusive Unicorn References: <8738fjkc2w.fsf@dpt-info.u-strasbg.fr> <53929baf$0$29988$c3e8da3$5496439d@news.astraweb.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: adsl-108-79-220-213.dsl.klmzmi.sbcglobal.net X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 6.00/32.1186 X-No-Archive: YES X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 28 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1402154644 news.xs4all.nl 2880 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:48852 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:72915 On 07 Jun 2014 04:57:19 GMT, Steven D'Aprano declaimed the following: > >Swift is intended as a new generation *systems language*. The old >generation of systems languages are things like C, Objective-C, C#, C++, >Java, Pascal, Algol, and so forth. The new generation are intended to >fulfil the same niches, but to have syntax and usability closer to that >of scripting languages. Languages like Go, Rust, Ceylon, and now Swift. > Pascal as a systems language? We must have major differences what constitutes a systems language then... Native Pascal had no features to support hitting the hardware or arbitrary memory addresses/registers. It was a candidate for an applications language (though even that always felt a stretch to me; as a teaching language for structured programming it was ideal, though). Try writing a serial port driver for a memory mapped I/O system using pure Pascal. I'll even put Java and C# into that category, though they may have escape routes to hardware -- I don't have that exposure. Ada, OTOH, was built for such... -- Wulfraed Dennis Lee Bieber AF6VN wlfraed@ix.netcom.com HTTP://wlfraed.home.netcom.com/