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The Number Guessing Game Written in YAML as Lisp Interpreted with Python

bas.codes

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Re: The Number Guessing Game Written in YAML as Lisp Interpreted with Python

#4
I don't think this is very good, because you have stuff like `ifeq`, and `what` sometimes introduces code, sometimes introduces data, and sometimes introduces keywords. I've tried to make languages like this before, and they've all looked beautiful to me… and incomprehensible to everybody I've shown them to. And also incomprehensible to future me, in a way that even languages I don't know aren't.

If you think your students will have trouble with syntax, try giving them a BASIC or a graphical language (Blender, Scratch, etc.) to start with. Or give them a language with good error messages.

To make a simple language, you need to start with simple principles, and strictly generalise them. If the result isn't clear and easy, you need to change the fundamental principles and pretty much start all over again. I think this idea has promise, but you'll probably need to make your own language for it, instead of trying to shoe-horn LISP's names and idioms into it.