Check out this idiocy: https://github.com/slott56/py-false

What is the point? Seriously. What. The. Actual. Heck?

I think of it this way.

  • Languages are a cool thing. Especially programming languages where there's an absolute test -- the Turing machine -- for completeness.
  • The Forth-like stack language is a cool thing. I've always liked Forth because if it's elegant simplicity.
  • The use of a first-class lambda construct to implement if and while is particularly elegant.
  • Small languages are fun because they can be understood completely. There are no tricky edge cases in the semantics.

I have ½ of a working GW-Basic implementation in Python, too. It runs. It runs some programs like HamCalc sort of okay-ish. I use it to validate assumptions about the legacy code in https://github.com/slott56/HamCalc-2.1. Some day, I may make a sincere effort to get it working.

Even languages like the one that supports the classic Adventure game are part of this small language fascination. See adventure.pdf for a detailed analysis of this game; this includes the little language you use to interact with the game.