Back to proposals-2013
Title: An integrated programming language
Proposer: julian_smith
Type: Presentation
Duration: 45/90 minutes
Description:
The programming world is full of compromise; popular languages have
serious flaws, better languages are not popular and even the best
languages have significant restrictions.
However there are still many examples of languages doing things well
enough to suggest ways of doing things in a better and more unified
way. For all its well-known limitations, C++ demonstrates that a single
language can support multiple programming styles while imposing no
ultimate performance limits. Python shows that syntax doesn't need to be
confusing, and that introspection can be easy to use. Even the humble
Unix shell demonstrates that one can have a syntax that is convenient to
use from the command line.
Python also exposes what i think is an oddity in how most languages
define functions; this leads to a way of embedding the components of
a parser and code-generator into a language, allowing the programmer
an enormous amount of flexibility. E.g. the use of sub-languages for
particular pieces of code, supporting advanced optimisation techniques,
and providing for almost unlimited expansion of the language as
required.
Rather than targeting a virtual machine or C, the system i've been
working on generates machine code; so for example coroutines can be
implemented within the language.
I'm not necessarily expecting my particular take on how programming
langages should work, to be widely adopted. But the current state of
programming languages is frankly embarrasing, and i would like to
think that we could do so much better if only we tried a little harder
to consider radical changes to the systems we use for so much of our
working life.
[MAYBE. Could go either way. Ewan]
Roger: maybe from me too
Asti: I too am ambivalent so, as usual, suggest a 45 min if anything
2013:an_integrated_programming_language
2013/an_integrated_programming_language.txt · Last modified: 2016/06/11 14:05 by 127.0.0.1