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Simplicity is very easy to objectively measure. Write down a formal semantics for the programming language in question, and count how many pages you used. But,
by catnaroek 9y ago
Simplicity is very easy to objectively measure. Write down a formal semantics for the programming language in question, and count how many pages you used.
But, of course, nobody will actually do this, because it would expose the inherent complexity of designs advertised as simple. Many people's feelings would be hurt in the process.
- majewsky 9y agoAs long as the result is shorter than 1500 pages (afair), your language is simpler than C++.
- catnaroek 9y agoAnd the C++ specification isn't even a formal one.
- woah 9y agoWhy don't you do it?
- catnaroek 9y agoBecause I have no time to study languages I dislike, and the one that I do like (Standard ML) already has a formal semantics and a type safety proof.
- MereInterest 9y agoI would argue that is a good measure of the simplicity of the language itself, but not a measure of the simplicity of the use of the language. By that measure, Malbolge is a simple language than C++ by a factor of ~1000. However, it is still much simpler to write code in C++ than in Malbolge.