3 ms·
Why are people so offended by syntax? So many people complain about parentheses or names like car and cdr. Is it the programming equivalent of being shallow or
by bhrgunatha 16y ago
Why are people so offended by syntax? So many people complain about parentheses or names like car and cdr. Is it the programming equivalent of being shallow or judging by appearance?
When I first started learning scheme I was much more challenged by the rest of the cognitive assault - tail recursion is "free", call/cc or continuations, the shift to thinking in "higher order" mode, macros, being able to effectively define your own syntax.
- petercooper 16y agoIt's disingenuous to split people into those who whine about syntax and those who enjoy deeper challenges. It's possible to be in both camps. Syntax isn't any more important than the other things you mention, but it's certainly as important. Syntax is not mere window dressing. Like punctuation in written language, there's good and bad, confusing and obvious, opaque and transparent, and it will be judged and analyzed like anything else.
- SkyMarshal 16y agoAgreed, you should flesh that out into a blog post, a reminder to people to stop losing sight of the forest for the trees.
- p_nathan 16y agoSyntax helps frame thought. I wrote a comment on this topic over on the StackExchange just the other day. http://programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/30135/does-syntax-really-matter-in-a-programming-language/30156#30156 http://programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/30135/does-sy...