The author details the creation of their own programming language, "Oxcart," driven by dissatisfaction with existing tools for personal projects. Oxcart prioritizes simplicity and explicitness over complex features, aiming for ease of understanding and modification. Key features include a minimal syntax inspired by Lisp, straightforward memory management using a linear allocator and garbage collection, and a compilation process that produces C code for portability. The language is designed specifically for the author's own use case – writing small, self-contained programs – and therefore sacrifices performance and common features for the sake of personal productivity and enjoyment.
This 1990 paper by Sriyatha offers a computational linguistic approach to understanding the complex roles of Greek particles like μέν, δέ, γάρ, and οὖν. It argues against treating them as simply discourse markers and instead proposes a framework based on "coherence relations" between segments of text. The paper suggests these particles signal specific relationships, such as elaboration, justification, or contrast, aiding in the interpretation of how different parts of a text relate to each other. This framework allows for computational analysis of these relationships, moving beyond a simple grammatical description towards a more nuanced understanding of how particles contribute to the overall meaning and coherence of Greek texts.
HN users discuss the complexity and nuance of ancient Greek particles, praising the linked article for its clarity and insight. Several commenters share anecdotes about their struggles learning Greek, highlighting the difficulty of mastering these seemingly small words. The discussion also touches on the challenges of translation, the limitations of relying solely on dictionaries, and the importance of understanding the underlying logic and rhetoric of the language. Some users express renewed interest in revisiting their Greek studies, inspired by the article's approachable explanation of a complex topic. One commenter points out the connection between Greek particles and similar structures in other languages, particularly Indian languages, suggesting a shared Indo-European origin for these grammatical features.
Guy Steele's "Growing a Language" advocates for designing programming languages with extensibility in mind, enabling them to evolve gracefully over time. He argues against striving for a "perfect" initial design, instead favoring a core language with powerful mechanisms for growth, akin to biological evolution. These mechanisms include higher-order functions, allowing users to effectively extend the language themselves, and a flexible syntax capable of accommodating new constructs. Steele emphasizes the importance of "bottom-up" growth, where new features emerge from practical usage and are integrated into the language organically, rather than being imposed top-down by designers. This allows the language to adapt to unforeseen needs and remain relevant as the programming landscape changes.
Hacker News users discuss Guy Steele's "Growing a Language" lecture, focusing on its relevance even decades later. Several commenters praise Steele's insights into language design, particularly his emphasis on evolving languages organically rather than rigidly adhering to initial specifications. The concept of "worse is better" is highlighted, along with a discussion of how seemingly inferior initial designs can sometimes win out due to their adaptability and ease of implementation. The challenge of backward compatibility in evolving languages is also a key theme, with commenters noting the tension between maintaining existing code and incorporating new features. Steele's humor and engaging presentation style are also appreciated. One commenter links to a video of the lecture, while others lament that more modern programming languages haven't fully embraced the principles Steele advocates.
This post explores a shift in thinking about programming languages from individual entities to sets or families of languages. Instead of focusing on a single language's specific features, the author advocates for considering the shared characteristics and relationships between languages within a broader group. This approach involves recognizing core concepts and abstractions that transcend individual syntax, allowing for easier transfer of knowledge and the development of tools that can operate across multiple languages within a set. The author uses examples like the ML language family and the Lisp dialects to illustrate how shared underlying principles can unify seemingly disparate languages, leading to a more powerful and adaptable approach to programming.
The Hacker News comments discuss the concept of "language sets" introduced in the linked gist. Several commenters express skepticism about the practical value and novelty of the idea, questioning whether it genuinely offers advantages over existing programming paradigms like macros, polymorphism, or code generation. Some find the examples unconvincing and overly complex, suggesting simpler solutions could achieve the same results. Others point out potential performance implications and the added cognitive load of managing language sets. However, a few commenters express interest, seeing potential applications in areas like DSL design and metaprogramming, though they also acknowledge the need for further development and clearer examples to demonstrate its usefulness. Overall, the reception is mixed, with many unconvinced but a few intrigued by the possibilities.
This Google Form poses a series of questions to William J. Rapaport regarding his views on the possibility of conscious AI. It probes his criteria for consciousness, asking him to clarify the necessary and sufficient conditions for a system to be considered conscious, and how he would test for them. The questions specifically explore his stance on computational theories of mind, the role of embodiment, and the relevance of subjective experience. Furthermore, it asks about his interpretation of specific thought experiments related to consciousness and AI, including the Chinese Room Argument, and solicits his opinions on the potential implications of creating conscious machines.
The Hacker News comments on the "Questions for William J. Rapaport" post are sparse and don't offer much substantive discussion. A couple of users express skepticism about the value or seriousness of the questionnaire, questioning its purpose and suggesting it might be a student project or even a prank. One commenter mentions Rapaport's work in cognitive science and AI, suggesting a potential connection to the topic of consciousness. However, there's no in-depth engagement with the questionnaire itself or Rapaport's potential responses. Overall, the comment section provides little insight beyond a general sense of skepticism.
The author explores several programming language design ideas centered around improving developer experience and code clarity. They propose a system for automatically managing borrowed references with implicit borrowing and optional explicit lifetimes, aiming to simplify memory management. Additionally, they suggest enhancing type inference and allowing for more flexible function signatures by enabling optional and named arguments with default values, along with improved error messages for type mismatches. Finally, they discuss the possibility of incorporating traits similar to Rust but with a focus on runtime behavior and reflection, potentially enabling more dynamic code generation and introspection.
Hacker News users generally reacted positively to the author's programming language ideas. Several commenters appreciated the focus on simplicity and the exploration of alternative approaches to common language features. The discussion centered on the trade-offs between conciseness, readability, and performance. Some expressed skepticism about the practicality of certain proposals, particularly the elimination of loops and reliance on recursion, citing potential performance issues. Others questioned the proposed module system's reliance on global mutable state. Despite some reservations, the overall sentiment leaned towards encouragement and interest in seeing further development of these ideas. Several commenters suggested exploring existing languages like Factor and Joy, which share some similarities with the author's vision.
Hillel Wayne's post dissects the concept of "nondeterminism" in computer science, arguing that it's often used ambiguously and encompasses five distinct meanings. These are: 1) Implementation-defined behavior, where the language standard allows for varied outcomes. 2) Unspecified behavior, similar to implementation-defined but offering even less predictability. 3) Error/undefined behavior, where anything could happen, often leading to crashes. 4) Heisenbugs, which are bugs whose behavior changes under observation (e.g., debugging). 5) True nondeterminism, exemplified by hardware randomness or concurrency races. The post emphasizes that these are fundamentally different concepts with distinct implications for programmers, and understanding these nuances is crucial for writing robust and predictable software.
Hacker News users discussed various aspects of nondeterminism in the context of Hillel Wayne's article. Several commenters highlighted the distinction between predictable and unpredictable nondeterminism, with some arguing the author's categorization conflated the two. The importance of distinguishing between sources of nondeterminism, such as hardware, OS scheduling, and program logic, was emphasized. One commenter pointed out the difficulty in achieving true determinism even with seemingly simple programs due to factors like garbage collection and just-in-time compilation. The practical challenges of debugging nondeterministic systems were also mentioned, along with the value of tools that can help reproduce and analyze nondeterministic behavior. A few comments delved into specific types of nondeterminism, like data races and the nuances of concurrency, while others questioned the usefulness of the proposed categorization in practice.
Mark Rosenfelder's "The Language Construction Kit" offers a practical guide for creating fictional languages, emphasizing naturalistic results. It covers core aspects of language design, including phonology (sounds), morphology (word formation), syntax (sentence structure), and the lexicon (vocabulary). The book also delves into writing systems, sociolinguistics, and the evolution of languages, providing a comprehensive framework for crafting believable and complex constructed languages. While targeted towards creating languages for fictional worlds, the kit also serves as a valuable introduction to linguistics itself, exploring the underlying principles governing real-world languages.
Hacker News users discuss the Language Construction Kit, praising its accessibility and comprehensiveness for beginners. Several commenters share nostalgic memories of using the kit in their youth, sparking their interest in linguistics and constructed languages. Some highlight specific aspects they found valuable, such as the sections on phonology and morphology. Others debate the kit's age and whether its information is still relevant, with some suggesting updated resources while others argue its core principles remain valid. A few commenters also discuss the broader appeal and challenges of language creation.
This paper introduces Crusade, a formally verified translation from a subset of C to safe Rust. Crusade targets a memory-safe dialect of C, excluding features like arbitrary pointer arithmetic and casts. It leverages the Coq proof assistant to formally verify the translation's correctness, ensuring that the generated Rust code behaves identically to the original C, modulo non-determinism inherent in C. This rigorous approach aims to facilitate safe integration of legacy C code into Rust projects without sacrificing confidence in memory safety, a critical aspect of modern systems programming. The translation handles a substantial subset of C, including structs, unions, and functions, and demonstrates its practical applicability by successfully converting real-world C libraries.
HN commenters discuss the challenges and nuances of formally verifying the C to Rust transpiler, Cracked. Some express skepticism about the practicality of fully verifying such a complex tool, citing the potential for errors in the formal proofs themselves and the inherent difficulty of capturing all undefined C behavior. Others question the performance impact of the generated Rust code. However, many commend the project's ambition and see it as a significant step towards safer systems programming. The discussion also touches upon the trade-offs between a fully verified transpiler and a more pragmatic approach focusing on common C patterns, with some suggesting that prioritizing practical safety improvements could be more beneficial in the short term. There's also interest in the project's handling of concurrency and the potential for integrating Cracked with existing Rust tooling.
Summary of Comments ( 104 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43970800
Hacker News users generally praised the author's approach of building a language tailored to their specific needs. Several commenters highlighted the value of this kind of "scratch your own itch" project for deepening one's understanding of language design and implementation. Some expressed interest in the specific features mentioned, like pattern matching and optional typing. A few cautionary notes were raised regarding the potential for over-engineering and the long-term maintenance burden of a custom language. However, the prevailing sentiment supported the author's exploration, viewing it as a valuable learning experience and a potential solution for a niche use case. Some discussion also revolved around existing languages that offer similar features, suggesting the author might explore those before committing to a fully custom implementation.
The Hacker News post titled "A programming language made for me" (linking to zylinski.se/posts/a-programming-language-for-me/) generated a moderate amount of discussion, with several commenters engaging with the author's approach to language design.
Several commenters praised the author for taking the initiative to build a language tailored to their specific needs and workflow. They saw this as a valuable exercise in understanding language design principles and appreciated the author's willingness to share their process and rationale. Some saw it as a refreshing alternative to constantly adapting to existing languages that might not perfectly fit a particular problem domain.
A recurring theme in the comments was the tension between creating a language specifically for personal use versus designing one for a wider audience. Some argued that hyper-specialization could limit the language's applicability and hinder collaboration, while others emphasized the benefits of prioritizing individual productivity and enjoyment. One commenter suggested that starting with a personal focus could be a good first step, potentially evolving into a more general-purpose language later on.
There was also discussion around the practicality of maintaining and evolving a personal language. Some commenters questioned the long-term viability of such projects, highlighting the potential challenges of debugging, tooling, and documentation. Concerns were raised about the "bus factor" – the risk of the project becoming unsustainable if the sole developer becomes unavailable.
Technical aspects of the language itself were also discussed, with some commenters offering specific feedback and suggestions. Topics included the choice of syntax, the implementation of certain features, and the potential benefits of incorporating existing language constructs or libraries. One commenter recommended exploring existing niche languages that might already address some of the author's needs.
Finally, some commenters drew parallels to other projects where individuals had created custom tools or languages to solve specific problems, emphasizing the empowering nature of such endeavors. They highlighted the potential for personal projects to lead to unexpected insights and innovations.