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Programming Language Design Tradeoffs
Every language is a bundle of tradeoffs. See the core choices designers face, from simplicity to readability, and how odd languages push each one to an extreme.
Design and Puzzles
Language Design
Ideas from programming-language design seen through odd languages.
Minimalist Languages and Tiny Instruction Sets
How few commands can a programming language have? Explore tiny instruction sets, from Brainfuck's eight commands to single-instruction ideas, and what you lose.
Orthogonality and Surprise in Language Design
Orthogonal design means features work independently, so they combine without nasty surprises. See how it helps, where it breaks down, and examples from odd languages.
Syntax Versus Semantics in Odd Languages
Syntax is how code looks; semantics is what it means. Unusual languages like Whitespace, Ook and Piet show clearly how the two can be pulled apart.
Turing Completeness Explained
What does it mean for a tiny language to compute anything computable? A plain-language look at Turing completeness, what it requires and what it does not mean.
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