glenn@ll-xn.ARPA (Glenn Adams) (11/15/85)
A New Programming Language: SARTRE *SARTRE--Named after the late existential philosopher, SARTRE is an extremely unstructured language. Statements in SARTRE have no purpose; they just are. Thus SARTRE programs are left to define their own functions. SARTRE programmers tend to be boring and depressed and are no fun at parties. The SARTRE language has two basic data types, the EN-SOI and the POUR-SOI. The EN-SOI is a completely filled heap, whereas the POUR-SOI is a dynamic structure which never has the same value. The structures are accessed through the only operation defined in SARTRE, nihilation, which usually results in a ?BAD FAITH at PC 02AC040 error. Comparisons in SARTRE have a peculiar form in that the IF statement can take no arguments and simply reads IF; Similarly, assignments can only be of the form WHAT-IS := (NOT WHAT-IS); since in SARTRE the POUR-SOI is only, and exactly, what it is not. Although this sounds confusing, a background process, the NIHILATOR, is constantly running, making any such statements (or any statements at all, for that matter), completely meaningless. Programs in SARTRE do not terminate, of course, since there is No Exit. --Author Unknown -- Glenn Adams MIT Lincoln Laboratory ARPA: glenn@LL-XN.ARPA CSNET: glenn%ll-xn.arpa@csnet-relay UUCP: ...!seismo!ll-xn!glenn ...!ihnp4!houem!ll-xn!glenn
mf@ircam.UUCP (mf) (11/17/85)
In article <240@ll-xn.ARPA> glenn@ll-xn.ARPA (Glenn Adams) quotes
``A New Programming Language: SARTRE,'' of ``Author Unknown.''
If I am not mistaken, this is excerpted from a very funny article
about several hypothetical languages, called ``Laidback with (a) Fifth,''
by John Unger Zussman, published published in the Oct 4, 1982 issue
of Info World.
--Michaelwb6rqn@yojna1.UUCP (Brian Lloyd) (11/22/85)
> A New Programming Language: SARTRE > > *SARTRE--Named after the late existential philosopher, SARTRE is an > extremely unstructured language. Statements in SARTRE have no purpose; > they just are. Thus SARTRE programs are left to define their own > . . . > constantly running, making any such statements (or any statements at > all, for that matter), completely meaningless. > > Programs in SARTRE do not terminate, of course, since there is No Exit. > > --Author Unknown > > -- > > Glenn Adams > *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE *** I do not know who originated the entry for SARTRE, but while in the UK about a year ago I had thrust at me a four page mimeographed copy of a letter from "E. Mode, Systems Architect" to "The Editor, Monday Times, T' Office in T' Corner, Heathrow House". This letter was dated 17 August, 1984. It is a delight to read and contains much fact, opinion, fiction, and fun. The entry on SARTRE is there along with such all-time greats as: ALGOL APL C DCALGOL DOGO ESPOL FIFTH FORTE 2 JOVIAL LAIDBACK LITHP LOGO MOMENEE NWP Pascal PROMIS SIMPLE SLOBOL VALGOL Perhaps a few exerpts would be in order ... C: is named for the grade received by its creator who produced is as a class project. "C" is best described as a low-level programming language. It generally requires more "C" statements than machine code operators to execute a given task. In this respect it is very similar to COBOL. A viable UNIX environment was created by an enthusiastic hobbyist while not doing something completely different in the I/O section in Tredyffrin, but it came to naught. LITHP: is an otherwise unremarkable language distinguished by the absence of "S" from the character set, substituting "TH". LITHP is said to be useful in processing lithtth. --- or my favorite ... VALGOL: this language is a derivative of LAIDBACK and had its origins in Southern California's Santa Ana Facility for Intra-Computer Ecological Design where the development of environmental software has been concentrated. The main objective of this facility has been always to maintain what they call the ecological balance of a computer of whatever configuration and size by completely filling it with environmental software (e.g. GEMCOS [Burroughs]). That is by the way. VALGOL is enjoying a dramatic surge in popularity at this time across the industry. VALGOL includes commands such as REALLY, LIKE, WELL, ER, and Y'KNOW. Variables are assigned with " = LIKE" and " = TOTALLY" operators. California Booleans in VALGOL are FERSURE and NOWAY. Iterations are handled in FERSURE loops. Syntax errors are notoriously unfriendly: e.g. "GAG ME WITH A SPOON". The following is a representative sample of the language: LIKE Y'KNOW (I MEAN) START IF A = LIKE BITCHEN AND B = LIKE TUBULAR AND C = LIKE TOTALLY GRODY ** 2 THEN (FERSURE) ** 2 FOR I = LIKE 1 TO OH MAYBE 100 DO WAH + (DIDDY * 2) BARF(I) TOTALLY GROSS OUT SURE LIKE BAG THIS PROGRAM REALLY LIKE TOTALLY (Y'KNOW) The only significant program to have been written in VALGOL is spite of the enthusiasm is a random insult generator that cna only be seen at Hendon by signatories of the Official Secrets Act. ------ 73 de Brian Lloyd, WB6RQN ...!seismo!umcp-cs!cvl!umd5!obpa1!yojna1!wb6rqn