X#, a new Msft functional language similar to Lisp; Python prominently mentioned

[David LeBlanc]

Digging further, it's said to be based on c# and smacks of typical MS: much
ado about not much (great idea, hohum delivery).

...
"Perhaps holding more promise for developers, however, particularly those in
the Microsoft world, is a vision for a new XML "language" that company
insiders are calling X# (pronounced X sharp), a .Net language based on the
company's C#."
...
"Don Box, a Microsoft .Net software architect, hinted at the development of
a new XML-based language at the XML conference in Baltimore last month.
During his keynote address at the conference, Box dropped hints that
Microsoft was beginning to look at a "data-oriented language. XML and Web
services push data manipulation into mainstream programming," Box said. "But
current substrates are optimized for objects, not data."

Sources could not say when, or even whether, X# will be delivered as a
product or part of a product. Microsoft officials would not comment for this
story."

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,3959,808302,00.asp

David LeBlanc
Seattle, WA USA

> -----Original Message-----
> From: python-list-admin at python.org
> [mailto:python-list-admin at python.org]On Behalf Of Ron Stephens
> Sent: Monday, January 13, 2003 17:14
> To: python-list at python.org
> Subject: OT: X#, a new Msft functional language similar to Lisp; Python
> prominently mentioned
>
>
> Ok, this is a brand new, wild rumor, but of some interest. Microsoft is
> said to be creating a new functional language , X#, to be able to easily
> extract and process data from XML documents.
>
> The author of this new online article, one Sean McGraff,  posits that
> most programming paradigms are either a)object oriented, like Java,
> Python, and C++ or b) use tabular data structures, such as relational
> data bases. He further posits that XML does not fit neatly into either
> object oriented nor tabular paradigms, but does fit neatly into a
> functional programming style that treats data and code as one and the
> same thing, like Lisp.
>
> Interesting. I don't like Microsoft, but this actually sounds like an
> idea that might have some merit. Of course, rather than use Lisp,
> Microsoft has to re-invent the wheel in a proprietary fashion.
>
> Does anyone think the ideas expressed in this article about XML being
> easier to process in a functional programming style, are either accurate
> or stupid?
>
> Could Python's functional programming style be a good fit for XML data?
> Could Python be extended to enhance such capabilities, if those
> capabilities have any validity?
>
> The article is at
> http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,s
> id26_gci873910,00.html
>
> Ron Stephens
> http://www.awaretek.com/plf.html
>
> There is no predicting what the Pythonic web spider will dig up next ...
>
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