3 ms·

Offtopic perhaps, but I am interested in reading an explanation of the good, big reasons why not "programming languages should be able to wear syntaxes like the

• jerf 3y ago
  The people who think syntax should be worn like themes do not realize how deeply syntax interacts with a language. It isn't a skin. Your homework, should you choose to do it, because of course I can't make you and don't really care :), is to write a "Haskell theme" for Python. The theme must retain *args and **kwargs capabilities, as well as all other Python capabilities, though those two things will be one of the first major issues you hit. On the flip side, write a Python theme for Haskell. (This one based on my own stabs at it doesn't have such problems with the capabilities of the language, but it sure does take all of Haskell's elegance and wrap it in the grace of an elephant with a sprained leg.) Also, bear in mind my claim is not that it can't be done. My claim is more like, nobody would want to use the resulting language with the resulting "skin". Languages are not all the same. Even dynamic versus static imperative languages don't really "skin" very well; compare idiomatic Ruby ActiveRecord-based code with Rust code. The differences are not just skin-deep.