OT: Programmers whos first language is not English

[Steve Holden]

"Max M" <maxm at mxm.dk> wrote in message
news:Ai_aa.117062$Hl6.10783558 at news010.worldonline.dk...
> Alex Martelli wrote:
> > Alexander Schmolck wrote:
> >    ...
> >
> >>>Of course XML isn't a friendly language either,
> >>
> >>Not being a language, yes.
> >
> > So what do you think the "L" stands for?  I don't particularly care
> > about this debate, but assertions such as this one are just too
> > grating on my nerves...
>
>
> Naturally XML is a language by most definitions. But my experience is
> that many beginners mistake it for a programming language.
>
That would be because they're beginners, I suppose.

> I believe that is a fault, as a programming language is usually defined
> by having:
>
>      - Sequential statements
>      - Logical operations
>
> xml only has sequential statements and no logical operations, so it
> fails in this regard.
>

A programming language is simply a language designed to express problem
solutions in a way that allows a computer to perform the solution. "Is
usually defined" is so imprecise as to be meaningless. A counter-example for
your consideration might be Prolog, for example, which expresses solutions
in constraint-based forms rather than in sequential logic. SQL might be
another one.

regards
--
Steve Holden                                  http://www.holdenweb.com/
Python Web Programming                 http://pydish.holdenweb.com/pwp/
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