Re: CHAT: proramming langs, was Re: CHAT: OS pain

Brook Conner wrote:

>  > Most programming languages imitate algebra.
>
> Hardly.
In a sense.

>  > The most extreme
>  > I know of that was thinkable-in was APL.
>
> A dead language. And what it had in common with algebra had more to do
> with having hair-brained things like a symbol for "roots of a
> quadratic" than anything else.
Not *my* favorite, but many loved it.

>  > On another hand,
>  > Perl was designed by some one with linguistic training.
>
> the syntax and semantics of Perl is still
> horrendous. Don't get me wrong - it is clearly a useful tool,
Right. Unfortunately, there's nothing better at present
for what I like to do. At least there was some awareness
of linguistics, getting away from the algebraic model.
My degree's in math, but IMO programming languages ought
to be more linguistic than algebraic.

>  > But the shell script command langs are more "linguistic" than
>  > those.
>
> Um, barely.....
Lots. I use bash or plain Bourne shell, never C-shell anymore.

>  > Basically, verb-objects with some adverbial-prepositional elements.
>  > The subject is always "you" and elided. Weird punctuation and anaphora!
>
> Yeah, if you conceptualize the shell as "you", which, at least IME,
> programmers do not do (I *certainly* don't).
Then, what's the subject? "Computer, you must now list the directory."
... "Aaaaah! not that way!"

>  > GUIs have taken the field temporarily, but I expect a return
>  > of the old command-line, in the form of speech-based interfaces.
>
> Erm. Try doing a spreadsheet that way....
Who needs spreadsheets?

> And if you want Microsoft software driving your car, you must have a
> death wish :-)
Linux only. Maybe even Java connected to an external control system.
Microsoft is synonomous with "crash" or "blue screen of death".

>  > > e) easy to learn
>  >
>  > Really-easy-to-learn implies pidgin, somewhat verbose.
>  > No morphology; SVO; all CV or CSV syllables, no diacritics.
>  > That's my guess.
>
> Okee-day, my give up. "CSV"?
A semi-vowel "y" / "w", and maybe "r" / "l".
Relatively easy to pronounce, larger syllable inventory.

--
As they say in Tepa: hike waipettu.