Re: XML as a transition to s-expr

[Bruce Lewis <address@hidden>]

Pixel <pixel@mandrakesoft.com> writes:

> do you think C would be successful if it would be a introduced nowadays?
> hopefully not!

No way.  People would look at it and say, "Yuck!  It has the same ugly
formatting syntax and = vs == problems as python!  What's the point?" :-)

New languages introduced nowadays usually involve extensive use of
regexps, a syntax more newbie-unfriendly than anything in K&R C.  As
always, newbies have to work to learn it.

S-expr syntax is unpopular for exactly one reason: it's different.

The hope for it is that for someone familiar with XML, it's not *that*
different.  Algol with a funny hat is much more different.

-- 
<brlewis@[(if (brl-related? message)    ; Bruce R. Lewis
              "users.sourceforge.net"   ; http://brl.sourceforge.net/
              "alum.mit.edu")]>