Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!usenet.blueworldhosting.com!feeder01.blueworldhosting.com!border2.nntp.dca1.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!news.iecc.com!.POSTED!nerds-end From: "Gerry Rzeppa" Newsgroups: comp.compilers Subject: Re: Writing A Plain English Compiler Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2014 17:19:15 -0600 Organization: Compilers Central Lines: 30 Sender: news@iecc.com Approved: comp.compilers@iecc.com Message-ID: <14-11-026@comp.compilers> References: <14-11-021@comp.compilers> <14-11-023@comp.compilers> NNTP-Posting-Host: news.iecc.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; reply-type=original Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Trace: miucha.iecc.com 1415734699 35770 2001:470:1f07:1126:0:676f:7373:6970 (11 Nov 2014 19:38:19 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@iecc.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2014 19:38:19 +0000 (UTC) Keywords: syntax, design, comment Posted-Date: 11 Nov 2014 14:38:19 EST X-submission-address: compilers@iecc.com X-moderator-address: compilers-request@iecc.com X-FAQ-and-archives: http://compilers.iecc.com Xref: csiph.com comp.compilers:1434 Tomasz says: This discussion reminds me of the history of mathematical notation. The notation we use today was adopted mainly in the 17th century and contributed to rapid development of mathematics. Before that equations were usually written in "Plain Latin" or "Plain Arabic", or ""Plain Whatever". I don't think anybody would recommend going back ;-). Gerry replies: We agree that mathematical notation is useful in its place; that's why we believe the "ultimate" programming language will be a hybrid of different syntaxes (and graphics, as well) as described here: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-hybrid-programming-language/x/8950932 But we also think that starting with mathematical notation and "bubbling it up" to the rest of a programming language is and was a mistake. ""Graphics_Lib.ClrScrn(0x000000)" simply can't compete with "Clear the screen." And most of most programs fall are not mathematical in nature at all. Most of most programs are things like "move this" or "draw that" or "put this on the disk". It is our belief that if programming was invented by poets (with a little help from mathematicians) -- rather than being invented by mathematicians with an utter disregard for poets -- we'd be further along the road to computers like the HAL 9000 (which the poets thought would arrive in 2001). But things are looking up. We've got Apple's SIRI, Wolfram's ALPHA, Nelson's INFORM, Microsoft's CORTANA, and now Amazon's ECHO. And, of course, Plain English! [This argument has gone about as far as it's going to. Back to compiler design, please. -John]