Languages that are hard to parse

Quinn Tyler Jackson wrote:


> Yes, certainly, and maybe even challenging. Hard to parse languages
> (such as C++ and Perl) beat the heck out of a parsing engine. I'm glad
> for languages like C++ and Perl when it comes to the challenges they
> present to parsing technology. They push the envelope and convince me
> that parsing is not the solved problem so many seem to assume it is.
>
[snip]
>
> It's either all a lot of fun -- or some of us are just quite
> unimaginative in how we elect to pass our idle hours. ;-)


Hmm.


Are you saying that designing hard to parse languages is a good thing?
Good for who? It may be fun for a few with spare time and a very
specific interest in this topic, but what about everyone else in the
world who use these languages to do a job?


Would you say the trick bicycle with reversed steering is good? It may
be fun, and challenging to ride, but is a poor solution.


I know better ways to spend my 'idle' hours. And that is the point:
C++ is not an interesting research project on which to while away
those idle hours, it is real life. And bad design made real life worse
than it should be for the people who use it, when it should have made
life better.


Steve

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