Little Languages

Question 1

What are Little Languages

Answer 1

Small, domain-specific languages that serve as elegant interfaces to control programs

Question 2

Why use Them?

Answer 2

Simplify complex coding tasks, Reduce repetitive descriptions, Help with tricky manipulations and hardware control.

Question 3

What are the Advantages of Little Languages

Answer 3

Error Reduction: Less repetition leads to fewer mistakes.
Ease of Writing: Both compilers/interpreters and programs written in them are simple.
Extensibility: Can be easily modified or expanded.
Reusability: Often applicable across multiple projects.

Question 4

Common Examples

Answer 4

Make, Shell scripting, Lex/Yacc, Python, Perl, Awk, LaTeX

Question 5

PILOT

Answer 5

Programmed Inquiry, Learning, Or Teaching language

Question 6

What is PILOT

Answer 6

A little language for teaching: Multi choice questions, Short answer questions, Interactive learning sessions

Question 7

Designing Little Languages

Answer 7

Study whole problem, think about how a little language may help
Think about: Abstraction, Simplicity, Linguistic structure

Question 8

Language Design

Answer 8

Completeness: Ensure all the necessary operations exist, Ensure all the necessary restrictions exist, Add features dictated by use
Orthogonality: Keep unrelated features unrelated
Parsimony: Delete unneeded features
Generality: Use an operation for many purposes
Similarity: Make the language suggestive
Extensibility: Make it extendable, Allow the language to evolve
Openness: Ensure related tools can be used with it