[HN Gopher] C. Hoare: Hints on programming language design (1973...
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       C. Hoare: Hints on programming language design (1973) [pdf]
        
       Author : hazelnut-tree
       Score  : 10 points
       Date   : 2023-07-20 18:59 UTC (4 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (flint.cs.yale.edu)
 (TXT) w3m dump (flint.cs.yale.edu)
        
       | Jtsummers wrote:
       | Two prior discussions:
       | 
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3241241 - Nov 16, 2011 (5
       | comments)
       | 
       | https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10102860 - Aug 22, 2015 (25
       | comments)
        
       | hazelnut-tree wrote:
       | Preface to the paper:
       | 
       | " _This paper must clearly be read in the context of its date of
       | composition (1973). The relative weight of comment on debugging
       | and reasoning about programs clearly changed as a result of his
       | own later research. Also, a richer notion of types would be
       | appropriate today. But the sound advice in this paper transcends
       | any minor aspects in which it might be considered to be out of
       | date._ "
       | 
       | Discussed in the paper:
       | 
       | - Simplicity
       | 
       | - Security
       | 
       | - Fast translation
       | 
       | - Efficient object code
       | 
       | - Readability
       | 
       | - Comment conventions
       | 
       | - Syntax
       | 
       | - Arithmetic expressions
       | 
       | - Program structures
       | 
       | - Variables
       | 
       | - Block structure
       | 
       | - Procedures and parameters
       | 
       | - Types
       | 
       | - Language-feature design
        
         | Rochus wrote:
         | OO was already invented and Simula 67 is even referenced in the
         | paper, but not yet recognized or understood in its
         | significance; the claim about Algol 60 ("an improvement .. on
         | nearly all its successors") is pretty bold.
        
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       (page generated 2023-07-20 23:03 UTC)