🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <DJOHNSON.94Nov16115604@seuss.ucsd.edu> djohnson@seuss.ucsd.edu (Darin Johnson) writes:
>> I am wondering why BASIC married with shared libs is out of consideration
>> as developer level interface ?
>
>But why should it be in consideration in the first place?  That's
>the real question.  What advantages does it have?  I can't think
>of any except that some people know it already, but that applies
>to most languages.

Following is strictly IMHO. The principal requirement to scripting
language is that it has to be usable by unqualified and semi-qualified
people: one cannot expect lisp-guru to build application from pieces
at customer place, I would rather expect somebody with background
in accounting and some light programming experience to do this
kind of job.


>Drawbacks:
>  - causes beginners to learn bad programming design
>  - if you toss out line numbers, and start using the structured
>    constructs, long variable names, etc, then IMHO, you don't
>    really have basic anyway.
>  - variable naming conventions determining type.  Blech.
>  - bad image.  You think some people despise lisp-like languages,
>    just wait till you see the basic haters...
>  - no data structures beyond an array.
>
>Do you really want the BASIC syntax, or do you just want a procedural
>interpretive language, such as a Pascal thingy with good string ops?

I meant simple procedural language. I think that following requirements
are important:

  - it has to be exisiting language
  - it has to be simple enough non CS/Math/Physcs majors to use
  - it has to be interpretive

So, something a la Visual Basic seems quite appropriate for this task.

>> The procedural language has very substantial advantage - it is the most
>> natural way for human beings to describe its activities.
>
>VERY subjective.  Or do you have any references?  And even if

It is not subjective. There was research (I would ever call it discovery)
made by one obscure scientist in early 80s. It is published, unfortunately,
not everything which is worth it published in English :(. 

>true, BASIC is not the only procedural language.

Agreed.  But I am affraid that any kind of CS/Math/Physcs major orineted
stuff in plain unappropriate for this purpose.

>Darin Johnson

Aleksey