Number of languages known [was Re: Python is readable] - somewhat OT

[Grant Edwards]

On 2012-04-03, Chris Angelico <rosuav at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 4, 2012 at 12:26 AM, Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>> On 03/04/2012 14:51, rusi wrote:
>>> Doing programming without programming languages is like using toenails
>>> to tighten screws
>>
>>
>> The latter is extremely difficult if you bite your toenails :)
>
> I agree, thumbnails are far better suited. Mine are often pushed into
> that service. But to extend the analogy: Using a thumbnail to tighten
> a screw is like directly patching a binary to fix a bug. It works, but
> it's not exactly a practical way to build a system.

Anybody remember DEC's VAX/VMS "patch" utility?  Apparently, DEC
thought it was a practical way to fix things.  It had a built-in
assembler and let you "insert" new code into a function by
auto-allocating a location for the new code an hooking it into the
indicated spot with jump instructions.

The mind wobbled.

-- 
Grant Edwards               grant.b.edwards        Yow! I'm a fuschia bowling
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