············@wildcard.demon.co.uk (Martin Rodgers) writes:
[stuff deleted]
:It's also possible that you are completely right. :-) Lisp and C++ are
:_not_ the same thing, nor should they be.
[ditto]
:Same here. I don't write device drivers in Lisp, and I don't expect
:I'll ever want to. However, it _is_ possible to write a high performance
:device driver in Forth, if you use hardware like a Novix. To most people
:this is just like giving up and saying you need special hardware to do
:anything worthwhile in a language. What do you think?
To me, computer languages are tools, and there is such a thing as
using the right tool for the job at hand. I wish there was more
attention paid to language interworking and less on finding the holy
grail of programming languages.
Just my .02,
--
Eric Jeschke | Indiana University
·······@cs.indiana.edu | Computer Science Department
In article <····················@news.cs.indiana.edu> "Eric Jeschke" <·······@cs.indiana.edu> writes:
>To me, computer languages are tools, and there is such a thing as
>using the right tool for the job at hand. I wish there was more
>attention paid to language interworking and less on finding the holy
>grail of programming languages.
Actually mechanisms like CORBA (Common Object Request Broker) and OLE/COM
(Object Linking & Embedding/Component Object Model) will make software systems
less language dependent. The common denominator will be the C or Pascal
calling convention in order to call out to systems using these
language-independent mechanisms. Those systems can exist as part of the same
executable, as a shared library, or as another process on the same machine or
a different one somewhere else. (I'd hate to have my scroll bar running in
China, however. 8)
As (I hope) more systems become available using these mechanisms, it may not
matter as much whether I am using C++, Lisp, or Smalltalk. At least part of
the argument goes away, making room to dispense with some of the other
arguments.
···············@ccm.jf.intel.com
(503) 696-9309
Intel / ProShare
In article <····················@news.cs.indiana.edu>
·······@cs.indiana.edu "Eric Jeschke" writes:
> :Same here. I don't write device drivers in Lisp, and I don't expect
> :I'll ever want to. However, it _is_ possible to write a high performance
> :device driver in Forth, if you use hardware like a Novix. To most people
> :this is just like giving up and saying you need special hardware to do
> :anything worthwhile in a language. What do you think?
>
> To me, computer languages are tools, and there is such a thing as
> using the right tool for the job at hand. I wish there was more
> attention paid to language interworking and less on finding the holy
> grail of programming languages.
I agree. Years ago I was loaned a copy of one of the Software Tools
books, and my view of programming radically shifted. I have my own
copy these days. BTW, that programmer said he'd used Unix. I recall
at least one book on comiler theory on his bookshelf. I've lost count
of the number on mine...
--
Martin Rodgers, WKBBG, London UK AKA "Cyber Surfer"
Assuming that Clipper will need to be global to be effective, write
to ················@cpsr.org and tell them you oppose Clipper. Now.
This is a shareware .signature -- please pass it on!
In article <····················@news.cs.indiana.edu> "Eric Jeschke" <·······@cs.indiana.edu> writes:
...
> :It's also possible that you are completely right. :-) Lisp and C++ are
> :_not_ the same thing, nor should they be.
>
> [ditto]
> :Same here. I don't write device drivers in Lisp, and I don't expect
> :I'll ever want to. However, it _is_ possible to write a high performance
> :device driver in Forth, if you use hardware like a Novix. To most people
> :this is just like giving up and saying you need special hardware to do
> :anything worthwhile in a language. What do you think?
>
> To me, computer languages are tools, and there is such a thing as
> using the right tool for the job at hand. I wish there was more
> attention paid to language interworking and less on finding the holy
> grail of programming languages.
>
Yes and we are being asked to use hand saws when power saws are available.
I wish there was more attention paid to language productivity and less on
finding the shepherd's cup of programming languages.
Sorry, I couldn't resist. :<}
--
Bill Vrotney - ·······@netcom.com