Re: [Gnu-arch-users] Re: new language, arch, furth, etc.

[Mikhael Goikhman]

On 21 Jul 2004 13:44:55 +0100, Andrew Suffield wrote:
> 
> On Wed, Jul 21, 2004 at 11:58:12AM +0000, Mikhael Goikhman wrote:
> > I strongly agree that significant whitespace is a burden in programming.
> > (One should be able to freely copy/embed any program part with no change.
> > One should be able to write any program in one line and pass it as an
> > argument to the command line interpreter.)
> 
> This is an unfortunately common belief, but inaccurate, and encouraged
> by the atrocious abuses of whitespace found in languages like python.
> 
> Get your head around how the Haskell layout rule[0] works, if you
> can. That's the right approach.

I don't mind if the language has an optional significant whitespace
as long as there is an option not to use this misfeature.

Ruby uses significant endline, this makes writing programs harder, since
you should constantly think whether "+" may only end or start the line.
However, at least both Haskell and Ruby pass the any-program-in-one-line
test, as far as I know.

> I'm kinda planning on coming up with a variant of the layout rule for
> furth. Personally I can't stand reading the lisp style, and there is no
> reason why I should, since there are existing two-way transformations.

Not many can stand reading the lisp style, I guess. :)

Regards,
Mikhael.