Re: [Gnu-arch-users] Re: arch roadmap 1 (and "what's tom up to")

[Zenaan Harkness]

On Sat, 2004-07-03 at 03:23, Tom Lord wrote:
> Informally, people have studied what happens if you through a
> non-programmer user at some rules for setting thing in a .emacs file
> using lisp syntax.   The anecdotes are along the lines of user reports
> like "Wow, this is actually the best editor-thingie I've ever used."
> 
> >From what I've seen, I'm very skeptical about a priori arguments that
> this or that syntax is "too hard" or "too unfriendly".

I think it's just experience - if our first introduction to computers
was some scheme dialect, we'd probably all be horrified with the lack of
flexibility of anything less.

For some reason, simple "assignments" appear to get very ingrained in
those who first learn them. It's turing-complete, I can (perhaps with
just a little more effort) do whatever I need, why learn something new?

Unfortunate really...

>     > So anyways, I'm not sure that "turing complete" is better then "stupid".
> 
> I don't think it's a true dichotomy.  I think it's a spectrum and,
> perhaps, the ideal is that user's be able to decide where on that
> spectrum to place themselves.

Thus 'Furth VM targetted by multiple language-compilers' right?

Sounds cool
Zen