From: Robert Klemme <shortcutter@...>
Date: 2009-02-26T17:21:11+09:00
Subject: Re: Nexus Programming Language

2009/2/26 Eleanor McHugh <eleanor@games-with-brains.com>:
> On 25 Feb 2009, at 21:54, Robert Klemme wrote:

>> What I probably wanted to say was: if you consider beauty as a criterion
>> for discussing languages it comes as no surprise that there is so little
>> agreement among people. :-)
>
> A lot of these arguments though have less to do with beauty per se than they
> do with an evangelical zeal to save the poor benighted heathens from their
> dark and superstitious coding ways. Personally I like my superstitious ways
> and I'm happy to leave benighted heathens to their own devices :)

I see we seem to have a quite similar approach to those language
"discussions".  That's why my engagement in them is usually brief.
There is no point in trying to "convert" someone of a different
"belief".

<wandering even="more off topic">I find the meta discussion about what
makes people have such strong feelings about particular positions and
why they want to convert others much more interesting.  I guess it has
something to do with basic instincts of humans who need to know where
they "belong to", i.e. what is their peer group and what are their
convictions.  But this discussion is rarely seen in our forums; maybe
it has something to do with IT guys (they mostly are - unfortunately)
seeing themselves as rational people who believe there are rational
reasons for most or all of their decision. Which reminds me of
zealotry in political leftist circles who also believe(d) that they
know how history works and what it needs to make everyone happy. I
find it surprising that after Third Reich and Gulag there are still
people who believe that they are able to force happiness on
everyone...</wandering>

>> PS: For me beauty in a program is clear structure and few but well chosen
>> lines of code.
>
> The same here, and I like to believe that insofar as there are any objective
> criterion for beauty in code those are the most easily expressed.

What a wonderful conclusion of a lengthy debate!

Warm regards

robert

-- 
remember.guy do |as, often| as.you_can - without end