In comp.lang.scheme Xah Lee <xah...@gmail.com> wrote: > Xah's Edu Corner: The importance of syntax & notations. > > http://www.stephenwolfram.com/publications/recent/mathml/mathml_abstract.html > > this article should teach the coding sophomorons and computer > ?science? idiotic authors who harbor the notion that syntax is not > important, picked up by all the elite i-reddit & twittering & hacker > news am-hip dunces.
I must have really tweaked you with my "Syntax is not important, ideas are." statement. I read Wolfram's article carefully. He applies an intuitive sense onto why he does or doesn't like a particular notation, but yet can't really elucidate his feelings. I'm surprised that didn't tweak you worse. He also goes so far as to mention that: "But actually we still don't know a clean simple way to represent things like geometrical diagrams in a kind of language-like notation. And my guess is that actually of all the math-like stuff out there, only a comparatively small fraction can actually be represented well with language-like notation." It is simply that the method by which the right brain categorizes and processes visual information is not observable by the left brain. Therefore no language can EVER be constructed by the left brain to represent why the right brain "prefers" some visual layouts for languages over others. I've done enough classical art training in my life to understand the conflict between the powerful spatial/visual processor the right brain has and the (in the context of drawing) meaningless linguistics of trying to describe the process. Only when we as human beings build the observation channels needed (with physical connection between certain areas of the left and right sides of the brain) will any sort of meaningful left brain language be created for the visual understanding/gradation of the spatial relationship and the method by which our right brain performs its processing. If you want to design a better computer language, hire an artist. Most semantic objects in programs stand in some spatio-temporal relation to each other. If you deny that fact, then simply look at the directed acyclic form/SSA form/CPS transform of any of your favorite languages. Compiler go through *great* pains to transform left brain scribblings into large spatio-temporal "2d images" where lots of algorithms are done before converting them into assembly. This is because it is simply easier to visually understand how to do the processing of those elements than not. Thank you. -pete -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
