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From: Bruce.Hoult@bbs.actrix.gen.nz
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc
Subject: Re: Complexity of syntax
Message-ID: <1990Dec10.065017.19736@actrix.gen.nz>
Date: 10 Dec 90 06:50:17 GMT
References: <9012061208.AA08577@decpa.pa.dec.com> <1990Dec9.013923.14456@cs.umn.edu>
Sender: Bruce.Hoult@actrix.gen.nz (Bruce Hoult)
Organization: Actrix Information Exchange, Wellington, New Zealand
Lines: 17
Comment-To: thornley@cs.umn.edu

In article <1990Dec9.013923.14456@cs.umn.edu> thornley@cs.umn.edu (David H. Thornley) writes:

>>Most of the syntax of C is not particularly difficult.
>>However, there is some pretty solid evidence about the declaration syntax.
>>For how many languages have people written, and recommended to others to
>>use, programs that translate declarations to English and vice-versa?
>> 
>How many languages support arrays of pointers to functions returning
>pointers to functions that return pointers to integers?  If you limit
>yourself to data structures that would work in FORTRAN or Pascal, you
>have no need for such programs.

Pascal only narrowly misses out on being able to do this, and it's cousins
Modula-2 and Oberon can both do it far more readably than can C.
-- 
Bruce.Hoult@bbs.actrix.gen.nz   Twisted pair: +64 4 772 116
BIX: brucehoult                 Last Resort:  PO Box 4145 Wellington, NZ