Re: Multiplicity, Change and MV

"Bob Badour" <bbadour_at_pei.sympatico.ca> wrote in message news:zeb1g.61877$VV4.1154887_at_ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
> x wrote:
>
> > I don't see how but I think is this imprecision what allows for the
> > expressiveness of human languages.
>
> EWD addressed this very issue more than 21 years ago:
>
> http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/EWD/transcriptions/EWD08xx/EWD898.html

Thank you for the link. Have you received my e-mails you requested ?

> "The major attraction of the modern elixirs is that they relieve their
> consumers from the obligation of being precise by presenting an
> interface too fuzzy to be precise in: by suppressing the symptoms of
> impotence they create an illusion of power."

> In his essay, he refers to "modern elixirs" as languages purported to
> obviate the need for programmers -- a claim I have heard many times by
> Pickies.

> Pickies are universally intoxicated by the illusion of power to which
> Dijkstra refers.

e-lix-ir (i lik'suhr) n.

1. a sweetened aromatic solution of alcohol and water containing or used as a vehicle for medicinal substances.
2. Also called <elix'ir of life'.> an alchemic preparation formerly believed capable of prolonging life indefinitely.
3. an alchemic preparation formerly believed to be capable of transmuting base metals into gold.

I would not see how having more power will make them less programmers :-) Received on Wed Apr 19 2006 - 01:12:46 CDT