On Mon, Jan 24, 2005 at 09:17:24PM -0500, Roy Smith wrote: > Rocco Moretti <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > The OP doesn't mention his application, but there is something to be > > said about domain specific scripting languages. A well designed > > domain-specific scripting language(*) with the appropriate high level > > constructs can make script writing simpler. > > This is a bit of a sore point with me. > > I've been involved with several projects where people felt the need to > invent their own scripting languages. It usually starts with "we don't > need the power of a full programming language, we only need to be able > to do X, Y, and Z". So they write a little language which lets them do > X, Y, and Z. > > Then they discover they need more complex data structures than they > originally thought. And nested loops. And functions. And more > sophisticated variable scoping rules. And a regex library. And 47 > other things. So they duct-tape all those into the system. > > A few years later, you end up with most of a real programming language, > except with a whole bunch of warts. > > The syntax is usually quirky (the one I'm working with today does not > allow any space before the open paren of a function call, but requires > it before the opening paren of an "if" statement). It generally has > poor error reporting. It doesn't have the whole family of free tools > that grow up around any real language (editor customization packages, > syntax checkers, debuggers, extensions, etc). You doesn't have a gaggle > of tutorial books written about it that you can buy from your favorite > on-line bookseller. > > Worse, when you need more brains/bodies on the project, you can't put an > add on Hot Jobs for "experienced OurOwnScriptingLanguage programmer" and > expect to get anybody who can be productive quickly. > > What it does have is a body of code dependent on it which is now so > large that porting it to something else is an unthinkably large task. > And it's got a small cadre of language gurus who spend all day defending > the language with answers like, "But, it was never *intended* that > people would do stuff like this with it". >
Me Too! I mean, did you used to work at CDNOW too? I don't miss that want-to-gouge-out-your-own-eyes feeling. -Jack -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
