11–20 of 137 posts
Every program expands until it becomes a compiler or checks mail. Emacs's sin was doing both.
> Any sufficiently complicated C or Fortran program contains an ad hoc, informally-specified, bug-ridden, slow implementation of half of Common Lisp https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenspun%27s_tenth_rule
It starts innocently enough, you just have a JSON that has some basic functionality. Then you decide it would be cool to nest functionality because there's no reason not to, so you build a recursive parser. Then you think it'd be neat to be able to add some arguments to the recursive stuff, because then you can more easily parameterize the JSON. Then you realize it might be nice to assign names to these things as you call them, you implement that, and now you're treating JSON as an AST and you're stuck with maintaining an interpreter, and life is pain.
It's a language for the domain of writing and verifying formal proofs. Basically, I didn't enjoy the experience of working with the couple of proof assistants I tried, so I'm doing my own thing. My objective is to create a language where I can document "everything I know" about math, if for no other reason than to prove to myself that I know those things, and to return to that knowledge if it ever slips away.
It's so much fun!
https://github.com/Podginator/Rattle/tree/master
It used JavaCC, which I found to be a pretty simple way to get up and running.
I also worked a job that used yacc to create their own DSL for a piece of software. Same thing, really. Easy enough to get up and running, and messing around with.
No. No, I really shouldn't. Yes, I might gain a better understanding of how things work. I can do that lots of ways; others may be a better use of my limited time. (For that matter, doing other things that don't give me a better understanding of how things work may be a better, more valuable use of my limited time.) Yes, I could get a language that fits what I need better... in theory. In practice, it would be buggy,…
How is using a language that is buggy, inconsistent, and incomplete any better than use a better language to write an app that is buggy, inconsistent, and incomplete? Checkmate.
No. No, I really shouldn't. Yes, I might gain a better understanding of how things work. I can do that lots of ways; others may be a better use of my limited time. (For that matter, doing other things that don't give me a better understanding of how things work may be a better, more valuable use of my limited time.) Yes, I could get a language that fits what I need better... in theory. In practice, it would be buggy,…
How is using a language that is buggy, inconsistent, and incomplete any better than use a better language to write an app that is buggy, inconsistent, and incomplete? Checkmate.
So, not checkmate at all.
Yes I can use python (other scripting language for that) but this is not cool as writing your own programming language and also you don't always have access to python environment. Bash just runs everywhere (at least for me). It is also my motivation to learn about compilers and how they work.
I've had two projects that end up being "oops, I made an interpreter". It starts innocently enough, you just have a JSON that has some basic functionality. Then you decide it would be cool to nest functionality because there's no reason not to, so you build a recursive parser. Then you think it'd be neat to be able to add some arguments to the recursive stuff, because then you can more easily parameterize the JSON. T…
This is why I have a separate config language and code language.
My config language is essentially JSON with newline separators and a first-class binary type (base64). I added little else.
When I get the temptation to add code to it, I just pull out my other, general-purpose language instead.
I've had two projects that end up being "oops, I made an interpreter". It starts innocently enough, you just have a JSON that has some basic functionality. Then you decide it would be cool to nest functionality because there's no reason not to, so you build a recursive parser. Then you think it'd be neat to be able to add some arguments to the recursive stuff, because then you can more easily parameterize the JSON. T…
So glad you finished with this. Right now I’m working with a guy who wants to write an interpreter…