| Well, exist a very strong mythology around the idea that language A = language B, is only syntax sugar. So, some people don't see the point of create new languages (or, why not extend the old ones?). >So what I don't understand and hope somebody here could >shed some light on it is what's with all the new languages? >How many of them really bring something new to the table, a >better way than the old one? Probably the term "language" is a bit misleading (and fuel the notion that 'english'=='german' just different) and is better to think in machine builders, where its interface is based in combinations of words, but the words ARE NOT WORDS. So, is posible to build a better machine builder than others? Of course. Some are very linear (and fast) but not that good at make parallel work. Some are very unsafe. Some are complicate to operate. Some are very non-sensical, where turn left mean instead self-destruction. Some requiere a lot of steps to produce the end-work. The beauty of a language is that a SINGLE word can not only imply a meaning, but also is EXECUTABLE with a behavior. go ...
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spawn ... Is like have a machine that chomp wood. It could be made of hundreds of small pieces. Or it can be a axe, in a single iron mold. A new language can be made when is understand that is possible to get NOW the axe and chomp, instead of build it like in minecraft. Even if the end result become the same (dude, people do insane things in minecraft) your way of THINK change if you are NOT PLAYING MINECRAFT but instead, something else. Some languages try to move closer to the "I have a axe right now, let's move on" faster than others. IE: Some machines are more low-level than others. With that idea on the mind, a language (machine builder) designer start to see some things: Even if have minecraft-level sub-machine builder is important (ie: The parts that almost all languages have like for, if, list, chars) is another level, game, to have machines tailored to some task. And if you extend the idea far enough, you can see that is better to have several of that specializations of that in a single package. If the mix going well, you have a happy factory worked that is very... happy!. Or you have another crazy machine where turn left mean self-destruction. But well... Of course, some natural limits are hit because the limitations of the computer architecture itself (and the limitations of the factory worked), but as I say: Some people do insane things with minecraft. |