John Coleman wrote: > I have a rough classification of languages into 2 classes: Zen > languages and tool languages. A tool language is a language that is, > well, a *tool* for programming a computer. C is the prototypical tool > language. Most languages in the Algol family are tool languages. Visual > Basic and Java are also tool languages. On the other hand, a Zen > language is a language which is purported to transform your way of > thinking about programming. Lisp, Scheme, Forth, Smalltalk and (maybe) > C++ are Zen languages.
I think that's a horrible classification. Every language is both. "Transform your way of thinking" from what? There is no distinguished canonical view of what a programming language looks like, from which all others must be strange and wondrous transformations. Lisp and Forth are not tools for programming a computer? Of course they are. Algol and Java don't transform people's thinking about programming? Nonsense. -- --Bryan -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
