Lambda the Ultimate

inactiveTopic Esoteric computer languages
started 1/14/2003; 1:48:47 PM - last post 1/15/2003; 5:22:11 PM
Michael Vanier - Esoteric computer languages  blueArrow
1/14/2003; 1:48:47 PM (reads: 1503, responses: 2)
Esoteric computer languages
Anyone who hasn't seen this already should check it out. This site is sort of a clearing house for bizarre programming languages, designed either to annoy the user or to explore odd programming paradigms (often both). My personal favorites are Unlambda (functional programming in hell) and Befunge (two-dimensional control constructs, anyone?). Another highly amusing language is called hq9+, which is, oddly, not linked from the above site. If you like this sort of thing you should also check out this site.

I guess this is a classic case of people with way too much time on their hands ;-)
Posted to fun by Michael Vanier on 1/14/03; 1:50:17 PM

rev - Re: Esoteric computer languages  blueArrow
1/15/2003; 9:39:06 AM (reads: 587, responses: 0)
Man, I cut my teeth on whacky languages likes Befunge. When I was 11-16, I'd spend a lot of time on BBSes (mostly Citadel 86 boards- [booya represent twin cities cits!]) and before I really came a part of the local BBS community, I spent my time looking through files. I think I've browsed every Programming Language/Programming section of all the boards in my area code looking for something new to devour. One of the things I had found relatively early on was Befunge, which I loved. Heck, one could consider the first "real" project I ever worked on was a little editor I wrote that let you edit 3D befunge scripts. I wish I still had that somewhere... it was for DOS and used some fancy-pants DOS GUI system. I went with that simply because included with the source there was already an editor written, and being 14, I was all about cut and paste code reuse. :P

Michael Vanier - Re: Esoteric computer languages  blueArrow
1/15/2003; 5:22:11 PM (reads: 561, responses: 0)
What I love about esoteric languages is that the people who write them or use them are just doing so for the sheer love of programming. It's the same feeling I get looking at entries for the International Obfuscated C Code Contest.