Re: [Gnu-arch-users] Re: Tla spork

[James Blackwell]

Miles Bader wrote:
> I think it's probably just because you have experience with one syntax
> and not with the other; getting a good feeling for something does take a
> bit of time -- though I don't think it's really all that much time in
> this case; lispish syntax really is _simple_, and regular.
>

I think you and I both agree exactly on what the cost is. I think where
we may (and perhaps may not) disagree is on the result. 

As a filler material, I'm going to whimsically state that it takes 15
minutes to learn prefix ordering, and 4 hours to become comfortable with
moderate expressions.

My position is that we'll loose a significant number of potential users
who will say "Screw it, arch is too weird"

> [I learned lisp (starting with the incredible August 1979 issue of Byte
> magazine) before I learned C, and definitely found the former easier to
> understand at first -- it was just soooo simple, so .... primitive (in a
> good way).  With C you had to keep all these things in your head at
> once, but with lisp, you could just stare at little pieces and build
> up from there.]

Neat! I didn't know that lisp was seen at all in the general public this
far back.


-- 
James Blackwell          Try something fun: For the next 24 hours, give
Smile more!              each person you meet a compliment!

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