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The ACM for a time only accepted code examples in ALGOL because it was felt that there should be a standard language that everyone understood. ALGOL eventually
by ryao 2y ago
The ACM for a time only accepted code examples in ALGOL because it was felt that there should be a standard language that everyone understood. ALGOL eventually gave way to C and others, but there is definite value in ensuring things are accessible to the largest possible audience.
- dxbydt 2y agousaco explicitly nudges you towards C++ on the first page itself. problems are graded on running time, even with moderately large datasets, Python simply doesn’t make the cut. So most high schoolers end up using C++ for usaco, and Java for AP Comp Science.
- kubb 2y agoYou're free to use ALGOL in your posts if you want. It reads like pseudocode used in algorithmic books, and should be familiar to anyone who used the Pascal family. ALGOL gave way to C, and C is now giving way to Rust, Zig and others. You're playing the role of the people who wanted to keep the example snippets in ALGOL.
- ryao 2y agoThe point was that examples should be in widely understood languages. The niche languages you list do not qualify as widely understood. Estne melius scribere exempla latine?
- mplanchard 2y agoThis is someone’s blog, not an ACM publication. Why hold it to the same standard? They can write in whatever they like. I have a hard time reading Haskell, but I don’t sit and kvetch about it anytime someone wants to use it in a blog post.