Symbolic
Descriptive
Symbolic:
Descriptive:Code:main { var n:Integer = 10; swap<Integer>(n, 20); printf("%d", n); } function swap<T>(&var1, &var2:T) { var temp:T = var1; var1 = var2; var2 = temp; }
Which do you like?Code:Main Var n As Integer = 10 swap<Integer>(n, 20) printf("%d", n) End Main Function swap<T>(Byref var1, ByRef var2 As T) Var temp As T = var1 var1 = var2 var2 = temp End Function
Tell me the reason, please,,
Umm.. Err.. The first one, because the second looks like VB, which I hate.
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
I do have to agree. C++ is symbolic, as well, so I like symbolic.
Originally Posted by Adak
I sometimes wonder if your likes conform to C++ or if C++ conforms to your likes, Elysia. I should seriously hope the latter.
>I should seriously hope the latter.
It's not uncommon to find a language you enjoy working with and mold your preferences around it. The end result is the same: you prefer working with that particular language and any similar languages. In fact, it's hard to know what you like without pointing to something that already exists and saying "I like that". I'd be more worried if Elyssia uses only C++ (or a small number of similar languages) to determine preference.
To answer the original question, I like them both. There aren't sufficient differences to prefer one over the other; the difference between symbolic and descriptive in this case doesn't affect the transparency of the code at all.
My best code is written with the delete key.
To add to that, I have also seen C and done a lot of C++ in a C way, and C is symbolic too.
I have used VB/VBA, and I am not a fan of either.
I have lots of Javascript, which is not as good as C++, but still symbolic.
I have used VBScript, though not a particular fan of it.
I have done lots of PHP. It's certainly OK, and it's symbolic.
I have seen and messed with Perl. Not a big fan of it, mostly because it's too symbolic.
I have also done Managed C++ and C++/CLI, and hugely dislike both of them. Managed C++ was far better with its symbolic usage than C++/CLI which was just horrible.
I have also used C#, and while I do like the symbolic parts, I hate the descriptive parts where you had to explicitly tell "pass by reference" when you pass something, for example. This is apart from my usual hate for dotNet in general, naturally.
I have done lots of HTML too (naturally), mostly XHTML, CSS and dynamic HTML. HTML is very descriptive, and so is CSS, but I think they could all be no more than descriptive. Symbolic would not fit these.
...And I think that's about it. As you can see, I lean more towards symbolic than descriptive.
Perhaps it is part of why I like C++ so much. Indeed, it is a part of why I like it. I have looked into some of D, and I was a little turned off by some awkward symbolic syntax.
I wouldn't call it appropriate to associate the syntax style with a complete language... I also wouldn't say that descriptive syntax is what makes Visual Basic a pretty lousy programming language. Descriptive languages are easier to pick up for new programmers, obviously, because there is less syntax you really need to memorize. However, since most symbolic languages tend to use the same symbols... once you know one, almost all of the other ones are pretty easy to pick up and understand. Symbolic languages tend to make it easier to identify variables and functions than descriptive languages do... especially when you're looking at the code on paper rather than a color-coded IDE. So, for that, I'd say I prefer symbolic languages. If however, all programming languages tended to do their own thing with symbols like using angle brackets for scope and braces for grouping... I could see myself appreciating the simplicity of descriptive languages more.
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I like descriptive better actually. I mostly prefer it because I like tabs over {'s.
Generally descriptive. But something more like:
So you don't put ";". You just change a line. You don't put "," you just pug " ". You don't put (,) except some occasions (like Haskell). You don't put brackets but you put <tab>.Code:Main n::Int = 10 swap<Int> n 20 printf "%d" n End void swap<T> &var1 &var2::T temp::T = var1 var1 = var2 var2 = temp End
But you use symbols like <,> for "additional" information. I don't like using "byref" or "ref". They get "confused" a bit with the variables. I want to be clear "this is the variable and this is how you pass it".
I don't mind either. I do a lot of C and a lot of Matlab, so I use both at a regular basis. One thing I'll say for 'descriptive' syntax is that it is sometimes nice to be able to see colours flagging scope rather than searching for braces.
oh god that woud be ugly as hell, id keep thinking a certain scope was all keywords or comments and the whole program woudl be at the same scope (no {'s )
BASIC is intended to be a teaching language, Visual Basic is not. There are a lot fo reasons I don't use VB, but honestly the syntax isnt one of them. VB just lacks the flexibility of C/C++. I'm sure you could do anythign in VB that you can do in C/C++, except maybe write an OS, but the mental acrobatics you would need to perform to twist the languge into doing some of the things I need would make it so painfully obvious that it is unsuited to anything but web toys and excel scripts you would pull your eyeballs out. Then again, I wish excel would support C/C++ instead of or at least in addition to VB.
I honestly dont see whats so hard about learning C/C++.
Last edited by abachler; 12-06-2008 at 09:14 AM.
Definitely symbolic, descriptive may be easier for the non-coder to read, but it really gets annoying having to type "End Function" when you can just slap down "}", a programmer can read them at pretty much the same rate, but you can type symbolically a lot faster. Brackets are also less "in your face" than full words are, making it easier for you the programmer to pay attention to the involving parts of code.
I disagree. A simple 'end' would suffice rather than 'End Function'. I would also find it easier to type the word out because you wouldn't have to use shift along with an oddly placed symbol.
Shift or not, oddly placed or not, it's still a little easier to type. But the main reason I prefer symbolic is because it becomes easier to distinguish different types of commands from one another at a quick glance, plus it looks much cleaner.
The oddly placed symbol looks better IMHO.
