[WikiEN-l] MediaWiki is getting a new programming language

[geni]

2009/7/6 stevertigo <stvrtg at gmail.com>:
> On Mon, Jul 6, 2009 at 11:21 AM, <WJhonson at aol.com> wrote:
>
>> Neil let me just point out in counter-point that the two longest-living
>> third-generation langages, COBOL and BASIC are both still alive and well.
>> Both use a most English-like foundation.
>>  Is Python more represented in want-ads ?  Most businesses still use older
>> generation languages, regardless of what is being taught in university.
>
> Ball-and-chain legacy issues substantiate your argument?
>

BASIC is around for more than legacy issues and is of interest to us
since it was meant to solve much the same problem (how to make
programing accessible to non programmers). While it's true program
languages have pretty much given up experimenting with natural
language and similar it's also true that programing has shifted from
something any computer user has to do to something rather more
specialised. We on the other hand want to do the opposite. We need to
have something that non programmers can use which was effectively the
problem that BASIC was looking to solve.

Most existing languages were not built to solve that problem so using
them would be unwise.

What we should do depends on a number of factors. If we think we have
worked out most of the things templates are likely to be used for (we
had better we are running out of space in articles to put them) then a
custom designed language which is setup to make those functions
accessible but with a full general purpose setup to allow for people
to do other things (incidentally that would be 1,2 and 3 of what
wikipedia thinks are the eight design principles of BASIC) would in
many ways be the best approach.

If we think there is a lot of stuff that people are going to want to
use templates for that has not yet been done then a generalised
language with simplification for existing common functions bolted on
would likely be a better approach.

Heh it would be quite possible to make construction of infoboxes
fairly easy in a basic like language. There are various reasons why
this is a bad idea (adding reasons for retaining capslock is never a
good idea). Still BASIC's handling of IF, THEN, ELSE is something of
an improvement on the current setup.



-- 
geni