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Date:	Thu, 15 May 2003 16:35:32 PDT7
From:	Peter Skye <pskye@peterskye.com >
Reply-To:	scoug-programming@scoug.com
To:	scoug-programming@scoug.com
Subject:	SCOUG-Programming: A slight pause...Deja Vu All Over Again.

Content Type: text/plain

Gregory W. Smith wrote:
>
> "Let's not get started by balming the
> French for not speaking German."

Giving comfort to the French for not speaking German would be similar
to, say, praising COBOL for not having a DO...END loop. Yes?

And thus you wisely premise that valueing a subset merely because it
*is* a subset is inane. I agree.

> As for Peter's suggestion of English, I
> would vote for us to consider the following:
> http://extreme-hawaii.com/pidgin/vocab/ or
> http://www.ling.ohio-state.edu/research/jpcl/

I sense then that _I_ shall be held accountable for promoting English, a
subset of spoken languages which does not include Pidgin.

Looking backwards to find a "master" language, Ancient Etruscan comes to
mind.

Neither French, German, Etruscan or painting wild horses on cave walls
will do because we don't share these communication methods. In fact, I
know none of them -- but I do know English. :))

So there you have it. The "proper" programming language is neither a
subset nor a superset -- it is the _common_ set for those involved in
the project. If Lynn and I were to work together the language would be
PL/I. If I were to create an Open Source project then the language
would be C.

The proper language is the one that maximises communication between the
participants.

- Peter

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