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by ryandv 335 days ago
> Sure they're a bit of a facsimile of a programming challenge, but they're pretty tough problems, especially in the ones that are basically using assembly.

They are indeed "real," bonafide (though perhaps sophomoric) programming problems. There is an Exapunks puzzle that has you implement a form of binary tree search/traversal in assembly.
1 comments
recursivegirth 335 days ago
Esoteric programing languages is the term you both are looking for. I think the Zachtronic languages fit firmly in there somewhere.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esoteric_programming_language

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ryandv 335 days ago
Usually I see that term applied to Turing tarpits, intentionally obfuscated languages, joke/meme languages, or ones with highly heterodox syntax. Zachtronic languages are really none of these and closer to an assembly (reduced) instruction set architecture. What makes them toy-like languages is that the "machine" you're writing assembly for is rather oversimplified, and is in fact totally fictitious.
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