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Re: C# is not Dylan (was: Re: C# : The new language from M$)
On Fri, Jun 30, 2000, David Bakhash <cadet@alum.mit.edu> wrote:
>I simply cannot for the life of me see how the Dylan syntax is more
>sensible. I'm not counter-arguing; I just want to know details -- that
>is, if you feel you can do it justice. Admittedly, I have only a
>cursory understanding of Dylan syntax, and so the best I can do is say
>"I just don't like it as much" or something useless like that. I do
>think that Dylan syntax bites, at least for me. Syntax is _extremely_
>important to many programmers because there are many times when several
>languages are "equivalent" in many respects, and so in the end it comes
>down to which one's syntax one is most comfortable with.
I think Dylan syntax is "more sensible" ONLY in practical/political
terms. Personally, I don't mind either. But here's my own take:
- C/C++ programmers work in a mode of thought that is dominated by gnarly
syntax issues and many (in my experience most) do not have enough
experience with other languages or enough education to see beyond the
surface syntax issues.
- Lisp programmers don't think about syntax too much (because Lisp has
almost none), and they tend to have a much deeper understanding of the
semantics of languages and their expression through syntax.
So, given that you must make a choice, and given that you'd like Dylan to
become popular, which group do you deprive of their comfortable syntax?
The group that is terrified of anything that looks too different? Or the
group that can see beyond the surface and understand what a language
really offers?
Of course, that presumes that even WITH infix notation that you could (or
would want to) appeal to C/C++ programmers, and the onslaught of Java has
made that a much more difficult thing to do. With Sun marketing cranking
out lies, backed by millions of $, faster than they can be debunked,
Dylan is left in the position of appealing only to those who can see
through to the underlying semantics.
Scott Ribe
scott_ribe@killerbytes.com
http://www.scott.net/~sribe
(303) 665-7007 voice
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