English-like Python

[James Mills]

On Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 11:02 AM, The Music Guy <musicguy at alphaios.net> wrote:
> Just out of curiousity, have there been any attempts to make a version
> of Python that looks like actual English text? I mean, so much of Python
> is already based on the English language that it seems like the next
> natural step would be to make a programming language which is actually a
> spoken one.
>
> For example, the following code...
>
>>>> import os
>>>>
>>>> def list_files(dirname):
>>>>     for p in os.listdir(dirname):
>>>>         print p
>>>>
>>>> list_files("some_dir")
> foo
> bar
> etc
>
> ...might be translated as...
>
>>>> Import the operating system module.
>>>>
>>>> Define a new function as "list files" which accepts
>    "a path" and does the following:
>        For every item in the list returned by the operating system's
>        directory listing of the given path, do the following:
>             Print the item.
>>>>
>>>> List files from "some_dir".
> foo
> bar
> etc
>
>
> Obviously, creating a parser capable of handling such "code" would
> require a very good understanding not only of the English language but
> also of how ideas expressed in spoken languages are represented in terms
> that a computer can understand.
>
> A language like this would, of course, blow a lot of staple coding
> coding concepts like "variables," "objects," etc. right out of the
> water. I think, however, that it could be done, and wouldn't necessarily
> have to be any slower than any other scripting language as any text/code
> could be cached as bytecode, just like Python.
>
> I know it's sort of silly but I think something like this would be very
> interesting, maybe even useful. ^_^

You are mad :)

--JamesMills