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From: dave@PRC.Unisys.COM (David Lee Matuszek)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc
Subject: Re: The Fundamental Concept of Programming language X
Keywords: programming languages, abstractions
Message-ID: <12434@burdvax.PRC.Unisys.COM>
Date: 3 Jan 90 16:49:48 GMT
References: <1470@mdbs.UUCP> <1782@aipna.ed.ac.uk>
Sender: news@PRC.Unisys.COM
Organization: Unisys Corporation, Paoli Research Center; Paoli, PA
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When I read Bill Smith's note about the "fundamental concept" of a
programming language, I wanted to reply, but was too busy at the time.
Just as well, since Sean Matthews made exactly the points I wanted to,
and did a good job of it, so:  Yeah.  What he said.

When I was in academia I frequently taught the Programming Languages
courses, and have never been satisfied with any of the available
textbooks.  As Matthews points out, most of them never look beyond Von
Neumann machines; those that do usually present summaries of the
languages (missing the important ideas), without any clear idea of
their foundations.

I have often thought that, if I ever write a Programming Languages
book, I would like to organize it in terms of mathematical models:  a
short introduction to the lambda calculus, followed by a chapter on
Lisp; an introduction to resolution with Horn clauses, followed by a
chapter on Prolog; an introduction to string rewriting systems,
followed by a chapter on Snobol IV (OK, I guess these days it would
have to be Icon, but Snobol IV is less contaminated by the Von Neumann
architecture); and so on.  And, of course, a large section on Von
Neumann languages, and all the fine distinctions among those.

My reason for posting (aside from just wanting to second Sean
Matthews) is to ask:  does anyone know if there yet exists a P.L. book
along the lines I have just described?

-- Dave Matuszek (dave@prc.unisys.com)
-- Unisys Corp. / Paoli Research Center / PO Box 517 / Paoli PA  19301
-- Any resemblance between my opinions and those of my employer is improbable.
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