I'd like a language that lets me define syntax that's readable by kids with basic english/math skills.
From the languages I've tried, Boo came closest to that, but the error messages it throws are awful, and development seems to have stagnated. Maybe Perl6 will be that language, who knows?
Haskell also seems to have a macro-system, but I wouldn't call Haskell a language readable by kids.
Two points: if your complaint is about Lisp in general, then it's not really relevant to the post. Some people can read Lisp syntax just fine. So, for them, the DSL is readable.
Second point is that since the beginners know nothing, they don't have preconceived notions of what programs should look like. Having just taught an intro to programming course, I am very aware that even the semantics of something like "i = 2" can be misunderstood by beginners. One advantage of the Lisp syntax for beginners is that it's extremely simple and consistent.
I'd like a language that lets me define syntax that's readable by kids with basic english/math skills.
From the languages I've tried, Boo came closest to that, but the error messages it throws are awful, and development seems to have stagnated. Maybe Perl6 will be that language, who knows?
Haskell also seems to have a macro-system, but I wouldn't call Haskell a language readable by kids.