🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <Byyw3z.2oJ@newsserver.technet.sg>, swispl@solomon.technet.sg (SW International) writes:

> I am looking for a language, which I can compile into my application
> to provide the user with the possibility to write his own
> functions etc. It must be able to call my own library-routines,
> and should be quite intuitive or at least easy for beginners.
> (Preferrably: easy for beginners, Powerful for gurus; sounds like
> C :-))

No, it doesn't sound like C (which like dynamite and electricity should
be kept out of the hands of beginners); it sounds like REXX :-)

Seriously, if you're using an IBM mainframe or OS/2 system, you should
consider REXX, because it's interpreted, well-integrated with the operating
system (the interpreter is already there!), and well-designed for beginners.  

If you're not on in an IBM environment, why not pick one of the "AI"
languages such as Lisp, ML, or Prolog.  In the case of Prolog, you can
very easily design your own language (using the "grammar rule" formalism)
or you can just use the native facilities for dynamically creating new
predicates (Lisp and Smalltalk also allow dynamically "compiling" new functions).

We recently used Prolog to build a user-extensible system for complex
pattern matching between files (e.g., one file has "First Street" and
the other file has "1st St").  We allow users to write their own patterns,
which are trivially compiled dynamically and executed.  [Yes, Prolog is
plenty fast enough for this application; and our customer has no desire for 
us to spend the next few months re-coding it in yacc/lex/C.]

-----

Peter Ludemann 				Manager, Large Systems Consulting
Quintus Corporation                     InterNet:       ludemann@quintus.com
2100 Geng Road                          FAX:            +1-415-494-7608
Palo Alto, California 94303             Phone:          +1-415-813-3819