RE: [colorforth] merging edit time and run time

[Frédéric DUBOIS <frederic.dubois@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I've seen the demo; maybe one can borrow some ideas from it. I've read the
manifesto; it's a large collection of cliché, not to say B*S*. Listen:

"It is a good time for a revolution."
How many programming languages maker have said that?

"Programming is so hard that only highly talented, trained, and dedicated
individuals can do it passably well."
Of course you have to know how to program to write good programs. I know I
can't run the marathon of NY right now, but if I stop smoking and start
serious training, maybe I can do it. I don't believe that buying big brand
shoes will do the job for me. Magic does not exists.
"The inescapable conclusion is that programming as we know it is just
unnatural for humans."
Funny. conditionnal jumps are a human concept; the IF ... THEN construct
copycats the old syllogism from Aristot. Registers and memory are a natural
concept; the same for stacks. Computer have been made by copying human ways
of thinking, and programming lnaguages (at least in the early days) where
made to "talk", command computers.

"In Science and Math, formulas are typically one-liners. Even small programs
are far larger than any mathematical statement."
Comparing karots and potatoes...

"Terseness is bad
Terseness is prized in Math and Science. While being able to write Quicksort
in 3 lines may seem like a powerful feature, it is in fact bad for the
actual practice of programming"

The end of the demo shows the classic, recursive factorial function. It is
just unreadable. One-line definitions that Forth permit are priceless.

"Performance is a cop-out

Performance is a favorite excuse for rejecting technological change.
Performance improves with engineering investment, and thus tends to be
superior for entrenched technologies."

Read: Currently my interpreter is really slow; but I'm designing The
Language Of The Future anyway, and that's for future computers.
Sure, the vast majority doesn't need horsepower most of the time; but an
interpret that eats 90% of the available Mips can cause real troubles when
you need speed. You then have to find walkarounds, that results in weird and
unreliable code and complexity (the kind of problem this author tries to
address). In contrast, a fast interpreter allows the programmer to use
simple solutions by the using the computer's horsepower.


"Vive la révolution!"

(This is the very first time I dislike someone quoting a sentence in french.
I don't see the point BTW)

" Programming is at a dead-end. The only way things will get better is with
a complete revolution. More conservative attempts over the years have
repeatedly failed to make a difference, leading to the widespread
abandonment of hope. We have nothing to lose.

Programmers of all countries, unite!"

It looks like a statement from an immature programmer.


 Amicalement,
  Astrobe


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