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BTC Lisp as an alternative to Script

BTC Lisp as an alternative to Script

Original Postby ZmnSCPxj

Posted on: March 14, 2024 22:19 UTC

The discussion begins with a strong stance against the use of one-character names in programming, advocating for more descriptive identifiers such as quote and apply instead of single letters like q, a, x, etc.

This approach is not only aimed at improving readability but also facilitating easier debugging processes. The mention of Lisp's quasiquotation syntax suggests exploring its potential as a shorthand for combining operations like apply and creating binary trees, while automatically incorporating quotation, thus enhancing the language's expressiveness without significantly complicating the syntax.

Further exploration into the challenges of compiler design highlights the difficulty of determining when to interleave calculations within the compilation process. The suggestion to adopt Haskell's strategy of lazy evaluation points towards an interesting solution. By mandating that all operations be evaluated lazily, it could simplify the handling of complex calculation interleavings. However, this would require that strict evaluation by the interpreter strictly adhere to the established order of lazy evaluation to prevent deviations from intended behavior. This approach underlines a significant shift towards making compilers more robust and user-friendly by addressing some of the inherent complexities in programming language design and interpretation.