[HN Gopher] Growing a Language (1998) [video]
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       Growing a Language (1998) [video]
        
       Author : swatson741
       Score  : 98 points
       Date   : 2023-07-04 00:26 UTC (1 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.youtube.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.youtube.com)
        
       | ElevenLathe wrote:
       | [flagged]
        
       | Pet_Ant wrote:
       | If you've never seen this video you owe it to your self to watch
       | it. It really I think captures the essence of systems thinking.
        
         | mywittyname wrote:
         | It's also a master class in story telling, which you rarely see
         | the context of a technical presentation.
        
       | dang wrote:
       | Related:
       | 
       |  _Growing a Language (1998) [video]_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24383919 - Sept 2020 (34
       | comments)
       | 
       |  _Growing a Language, by Guy Steele (1998) [video]_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16847691 - April 2018 (20
       | comments)
       | 
       |  _Growing a Language (1998) [pdf]_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10153391 - Sept 2015 (8
       | comments)
       | 
       |  _Growing a Language (1998) [video]_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9918286 - July 2015 (10
       | comments)
       | 
       |  _Growing a Language, by Guy Steele_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3744125 - March 2012 (5
       | comments)
       | 
       |  _Guy Steele: Growing a Language (video 53:30)_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2359174 - March 2011 (21
       | comments)
       | 
       |  _Growing a Language, by Guy Steele_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=827107 - Sept 2009 (2
       | comments)
       | 
       |  _Growing a Language, by Guy Steele [video]_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=626380 - May 2009 (3
       | comments)
       | 
       |  _Growing a Language by Guy Steele_ -
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=152311 - April 2008 (7
       | comments)
       | 
       |  _Worth reading or rereading: Guy Steele 's Growing a Language
       | (PDF)_ - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=92542 - Dec 2007 (1
       | comment)
       | 
       | ----
       | 
       | p.s.: reposts are fine after a year or so; links to past threads
       | are just to satisfy extra-curious readers. Also it's good for the
       | classics to reappear periodically, so new cohorts of HN users get
       | to know them and the culture can propagate!
        
       | swyx wrote:
       | One of my favorite talks of all time. I took personal notes here:
       | https://www.swyx.io/notes-on-growing-a-language-by-guy-steel...
        
       | 082349872349872 wrote:
       | it was the math prof who made "life" who gave (with a friend hop)
       | me the game where one speaks with just these base words.
        
         | bigdict wrote:
         | what? john conway? what words?
        
           | justinpombrio wrote:
           | Yes, that is the math prof. And they mean, words with just
           | one -- how do you say -- speak beat?
        
             | teddyh wrote:
             | ITYM "syllable"
        
               | jodrellblank wrote:
               | That can not be a word, it is too big. One pulse per word
               | is the most there can be.
        
               | pansa2 wrote:
               | Tell me you've not watched the talk...
        
               | teddyh wrote:
               | The talk defines the word.
        
             | [deleted]
        
       | seanhunter wrote:
       | On a separate note, Guy Steele's Common Lisp Book is awesome.
       | https://www.cs.cmu.edu/Groups/AI/html/cltl/cltl2.html
       | 
       | It's a bit of a regret for me that it was always a hobby thing
       | and my career never took me in a direction where I would have got
       | to use it in a professional capacity.
        
         | djha-skin wrote:
         | I love all the dry jokes in it. Just scattered thither and yon
         | like it was a children's book, easter eggs found in the most
         | unlikely places.
        
           | kagevf wrote:
           | Do you know if it's common to read CLTL2 from front to back,
           | or just use it strictly as a reference?
        
             | tmtvl wrote:
             | It's probably better to read it front to back because CLTL2
             | isn't 1994 standard Common Lisp.
        
               | kagevf wrote:
               | Right, CLTL2 doesn't conform to the ansi spec. I just
               | wonder if it's common to read all the way through, or as
               | a reference _in addition_ to CLHS, to maybe get some
               | additional perspective on why a feature is a certain way,
               | etc ...
        
         | nabla9 wrote:
         | I also loved his C Reference manual. Dry jokes funny but
         | educational examples like, this example of micro-optimization.
         | 
         | >here is an example of how good intentions can lead to chaos:
         | switch(x)              default:              if (prime(x))
         | case 2: case 3: case 5: case 7:
         | process_prime(x);              else                 case 4:
         | case 6: case 8: case 9: case 10:
         | process_composite(x);
         | 
         | >This is, frankly, the most bizarre switch statement we have
         | ever seen that still pretenses to be purposeful
        
       | [deleted]
        
       | bsaul wrote:
       | Funny how the very first sentence of the talk "i think you all
       | know what a man is" would now be subject of heated discussions.
       | 
       | oh the times they are a changin...
        
       | tomcam wrote:
       | Exquisite. Is it only my impression that beginning a presentation
       | with first principles is far rarer than it used to be? It was
       | both reassuring and refreshing.
       | 
       | His spoken language goes beyond precise and into... anachronism.
        
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