Re: What is the smallest self-hosting language?

"Ira Baxter" <idbaxter@semdesigns.com>
5 Feb 2003 23:56:37 -0500

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From: "Ira Baxter" <idbaxter@semdesigns.com>
Newsgroups: comp.compilers
Date: 5 Feb 2003 23:56:37 -0500
Organization: Compilers Central
References: 03-01-013 03-01-106 03-01-133 03-01-175
Keywords: theory
Posted-Date: 05 Feb 2003 23:56:37 EST

> > I found myself wondering what the smallest self-hosting language would
> > look like. In the same way that programmers find it fun to write the
> > smallest self-reproducing programs, it might be fun to try and write
> > the smallest self-hosting language.


Um, I think the Turing machine theorists have beat this to death.
There's a 3-state, 7 symbol Universal Turing machine. By definition,
self hosting.


So I think the discussion need to focus on what's the smallest
*expressive* self-hosting language. And that gets you into a
discussion on art, oops, expressiveness.


-- IDB

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