RE: What is a lightweight language

["Anton van Straaten" <address@hidden>]

Bruce Lewis wrote:
> Shriram showed a slide with a Scheme function definition.  He followed
> it with a slide of the same code, but with an XML-like syntax instead of
> s-exprs.  There was some clever wording on each slide (wish I could
> remember exactly) alluding to the supposed superiority of the XML
> syntax, when everyone could see that the s-expr version was more
> readable.

LL1 proceedings, including Shriram's slides, are here:
http://www.ai.mit.edu/projects/dynlangs/ll1/agenda.html

The first slide went:

---------------------------------------------
Stupid Parenthetical Syntax

(automaton see0
  (see0 (0 -> see1))
  (see1 (1 -> see0)))

is clearly ugly, evil, and an insidious plot
  hatched by misbegotten academics
=============================================


The second slide:

---------------------------------------------
Smart Parenthetical Syntax

<automaton see0
  <state name=“see0”>
    <trn> <from> 0 </from>
          <to> see1 </to> </trn> </state>
  <state name=“see1”>
    <trn> <from> 1 </from>
          <to> see0 </to> </trn> </state>
</automaton>

is a hip, cool, great new idea
=============================================