Python is readable

[Steven D'Aprano]

On Thu, 22 Mar 2012 08:47:15 -0400, Nathan Rice wrote:

> There is a concept in statistical/mathematical modeling called minimum
> message length (a close analog is minimum description length), which
> asserts that the optimum model for some set of information is the one
> that minimizes the sum of the length of the model and the length of the
> set described by that model.

(1) Optimum in what sense?

(2) What does this have to do with designing programming languages?

This discussion sounds to me like the apocryphal story about the 
spherical cow.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spherical_cow


> Clearly no model is going to be optimal
> for every set of information.  What I was alluding to in the post that
> Steve Howell replied to was that we need to have a programming language
> that is a model of models, then include a second order model as part of
> the program.  Having one core language with many DSLs that can
> interoperate is infinitely better than having many languages that
> cannot.

Some people, when confronted with a problem, think "I know, I'll use a 
DSL." Now they have two problems.

And some people think "I know, I'll use a meta-language with an infinite 
number of infinitely variable DSLs." Now they have an infinite number of 
problems.


> A language designed in such a way would also prevent issues
> like the Python 2 -> 3 fiasco, 

What fiasco?

You've just lost an awful lot of credibility with me.


-- 
Steven