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<H1>Re: [MUD-Dev] Language design</H1>
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<LI><em>To</em>: <A HREF="mailto:mud-dev#null,net">mud-dev#null,net</A></LI>
<LI><em>Subject</em>: Re: [MUD-Dev] Language design</LI>
<LI><em>From</em>: <A HREF="mailto:clawrenc#cup,hp.com">clawrenc#cup,hp.com</A></LI>
<LI><em>Date</em>: Thu, 28 Aug 97 10:13:31 -0700</LI>
<LI><em>Reply-to</em>: <A HREF="mailto:claw#null,net">claw#null,net</A></LI>
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<PRE>
In <<A HREF="msg00737.html">9708260547.8cwv#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA</A>>, on 08/25/97
at 11:03 PM, cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA (Chris Gray) said:
>[Greg M:]
>:I seem to remember that someone (Jeff Kesselman, I think) stated that when
>:designing a language, they always went via one of two routes:
>:
>: 1. The language is tightly-bound to the task at hand
>: 2. The language is very generic in nature
>:
>:What are the (dis)advantages of each? I suspect that a non-generic
>:language would not be too extensible (and may cause problems if it went
>:on to a public ftp-able release), what are your opinions on this? A
>:generic language with libraries for specific purposes seems better than
>:tying everything to the language itself, but this is pretty much 'the C/C++
>:route'; I'm anxious to avoid making decisions solely on the basis of
>:"It's all I know."
>I have a hard time thinking of any disadvantages of using a more
>general purpose language, combined with a number of built-in
>functions to efficiently support the things that are used a lot by
>the expected code.
Agreed.
My general approach is to do a general purpose language, and to then
add in data-specific features to customise it to the sorts of data I
expect the language to be used for. Thus, my internal language has
many simple ways to represent and process lists of various types, as I
see that as a common data manipulation for a MUD.
>I don't think its any harder to make a general
>language - in fact it is probably easier than having to add in a
>bunch of extra constructs for the special stuff you want.
Agreed. On the rare times I've attempted a specialise language I've
found that I end up painting myself into a corner where previous
features prevent me from adding the new feature I really want. This
is of course a failure in design, not the case of special cased
languages.
--
J C Lawrence Internet: claw#null,net
(Contractor) Internet: coder#ibm,net
---------------(*) Internet: clawrenc#cup,hp.com
...Honorary Member Clan McFUD -- Teamer's Avenging Monolith...
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<LI><STRONG><A NAME="00737" HREF="msg00737.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Language design</A></STRONG>
<UL><LI><EM>From:</EM> cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA (Chris Gray)</LI></UL></LI>
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<ul><li>Thread context:
<BLOCKQUOTE><UL>
<LI><STRONG>Re: [MUD-Dev] Poisons (was Foods)</STRONG>, <EM>(continued)</EM>
<ul compact>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00835" HREF="msg00835.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Poisons (was Foods)</A></strong>,
Jon A. Lambert <a href="mailto:jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com">jlsysinc#ix,netcom.com</a>, Fri 29 Aug 1997, 04:29 GMT
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00745" HREF="msg00745.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Poisons (was Foods)</A></strong>,
Travis Casey <a href="mailto:efindel#io,com">efindel#io,com</a>, Tue 26 Aug 1997, 22:42 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00770" HREF="msg00770.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Poisons (was Foods)</A></strong>,
Matt Chatterley <a href="mailto:root#mpc,dyn.ml.org">root#mpc,dyn.ml.org</a>, Wed 27 Aug 1997, 16:36 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</ul>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00737" HREF="msg00737.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Language design</A></strong>,
Chris Gray <a href="mailto:cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA">cg#ami-cg,GraySage.Edmonton.AB.CA</a>, Tue 26 Aug 1997, 06:01 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00804" HREF="msg00804.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Language design</A></strong>,
clawrenc <a href="mailto:clawrenc#cup,hp.com">clawrenc#cup,hp.com</a>, Thu 28 Aug 1997, 17:21 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00736" HREF="msg00736.html">{rape] lets drop it</A></strong>,
Jeff Kesselman <a href="mailto:jeffk#tenetwork,com">jeffk#tenetwork,com</a>, Tue 26 Aug 1997, 05:53 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00763" HREF="msg00763.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] {rape] lets drop it</A></strong>,
Alex Oren <a href="mailto:alexo#bigfoot,com">alexo#bigfoot,com</a>, Wed 27 Aug 1997, 13:04 GMT
<UL>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00768" HREF="msg00768.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] {rape] lets drop it</A></strong>,
Caliban Tiresias Darklock <a href="mailto:caliban#darklock,com">caliban#darklock,com</a>, Wed 27 Aug 1997, 16:21 GMT
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
</UL>
</LI>
<LI><strong><A NAME="00732" HREF="msg00732.html">Re: [MUD-Dev] Character evolution</A></strong>,
Jeff Kesselman <a href="mailto:jeffk#tenetwork,com">jeffk#tenetwork,com</a>, Tue 26 Aug 1997, 05:20 GMT
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</UL></BLOCKQUOTE>
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