Re: parsing, was .NET Compiler for Interactive Fiction

Robert A Duff <bobduff@shell01.TheWorld.com>
27 Apr 2003 02:02:14 -0400

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[5 earlier articles]
Re: .NET Compiler for Interactive Fiction JeffKenton@attbi.com (Jeff Kenton) (2003-04-05)
Re: .NET Compiler for Interactive Fiction joachim_d@gmx.de (Joachim Durchholz) (2003-04-13)
Re: parsing, was .NET Compiler for Interactive Fiction rpboland@math.uwaterloo.ca (Ralph P. Boland) (2003-04-15)
Re: parsing, was .NET Compiler for Interactive Fiction cfc@TheWorld.com (Chris F Clark) (2003-04-15)
Re: parsing, was .NET Compiler for Interactive Fiction joachim_d@gmx.de (Joachim Durchholz) (2003-04-20)
Re: parsing, was .NET Compiler for Interactive Fiction bobduff@shell01.TheWorld.com (Robert A Duff) (2003-04-20)
Re: parsing, was .NET Compiler for Interactive Fiction bobduff@shell01.TheWorld.com (Robert A Duff) (2003-04-27)
Re: parsing, was .NET Compiler for Interactive Fiction rpboland@math.uwaterloo.ca (Ralph P. Boland) (2003-04-27)
Re: parsing, was .NET Compiler for Interactive Fiction zivca@netvision.net.il (2003-04-27)
Re: parsing, was .NET Compiler for Interactive Fiction joachim_d@gmx.de (Joachim Durchholz) (2003-04-27)
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From: Robert A Duff <bobduff@shell01.TheWorld.com>
Newsgroups: comp.compilers
Date: 27 Apr 2003 02:02:14 -0400
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
References: 03-02-125 03-02-147 03-03-043 03-03-061 03-03-103 03-04-006 03-04-028 03-04-046 03-04-066
Keywords: parse
Posted-Date: 27 Apr 2003 02:02:14 EDT

Our esteemed moderator writes:


> [I don't see why it's artificial.


The problem I was referring to is "parsing computer programming
languages". This is, after all, comp.compilers, not
comp.artificial-intelligence. ;-)


It's an artificial problem, because human beings designed (overly
complex) languages. So then we need fancy parser-generator tools to
solve that problem.


>...Human languages have very complex grammars.


Yes, and more importantly nobody knows precisely what they are.


>... That's how we're wired to work. Why shouldn't computers
> adapt to us for a change?


Well, maybe they should, and maybe they shouldn't, but it doesn't
matter, because we have no idea how to make them do so. ;-)
I mean, I don't know of any parsing technology that can deal
with English even as well as a three year old. But as I said,
I wasn't referring to *that* problem.


- Bob


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