--- Message Received --- From: Henrik Mikael Kristensen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Mon, 11 Aug 2008 10:45:36 +0200 Subject: [REBOL] Re: REBOL-SIMPLE dialect
Henrik: "I think this might not be a good idea (surprise :-)). We all come from different environments of programming and we all have different ways to handle the languages that we've programmed in before REBOL. I often observe people learning REBOL asking, why doesn't it do this or that like C or Java does? Why doesn't it have regexp or why doesn't it do classes like Java does, because the beginner is used to those things from other places. And the truth is that many languages borrow concepts from eachother, where such questions may make sense." I think you might have missed my point. I used REXX as an example because= it is a simple no fuss language that I am familiar with. Perhaps that wa= s a mistake. What I should have said was that REBOL-SIMPLE could be a dea= d simple language that in all the superficial ways looks like REBOL. In otherwords abstract from all the languages and establish the most basi= c simple to use lanaguage/dialect designed to lead into REBOL proper. The= way I am seeing it is as a tool to bring not programmers, or scriptors t= o REBOL, but computer users and absolute novices to using any language. I= terations, conditionals, assignments, simple maths, using a rich set of f= unctions to do what is required, and typeless data (sorted out at the dia= lect function level). The beginner you are refering to is someone who is already scripting/prog= ramming. REBOL's dialecting ability is potentially an open door to people who have= never thought they could program. I am talking of simpliest concievable = language that at it simplest level relies on having a huge number of func= tions that can be called in one line.=20 As I suggested in a previous post addressed to Carl, really it would have= to be dialect that supported three distinct levels. The top level (the s= implest) producing a framework for using functions, another level, more f= unction orientated a set of useful tools to get functions written easily,= and at a slightly more complex level than the top level. The last level = just REBOL wrapped as a function to fit in with the rest. It would not be REBOL but a mix. The idea would be that a complete novice could rough out a script that wo= rked and then concentrate on those things as fragments using more more RE= BOL to get there, without writing a full REBOL script from begining to en= d. It may prove too complex, it may just be silly, but it might be something= . Considering what is being done to the new VID it may fit in well - that= is a simple GUI method mixed with a simple scripting framework that frag= ments the harder parts as required. If that could be cracked, the advantage would be that REBOL would not be = recruiting REBOLers from amongst existing programmers and scriptors (thou= gh they would come too) but people who need to get their computers doing = stuff that they need easily. -- To unsubscribe from the list, just send an email to lists at rebol.com with unsubscribe as the subject.
