OT: Programmers whos first language is not English

[Alex Martelli]

Alexander Schmolck wrote:

>> >> Of course XML isn't a friendly language either,
>> > 
>> > Not being a language, yes.
>> 
>> So what do you think the "L" stands for?  I don't particularly care
>> about this debate, but assertions such as this one are just too
>> grating on my nerves...
> 
> Languages have semantics, XML is just syntax.

You don't seem to have any clue at all about the meaning of
the word "language" in computer science.  Get some such clue:
it will help you avoid getting egg all over your face (in a
metaphorical sense) whenever you discuss this.  Any elementary
course in theoretical computer science will, very early on,
DEFINE "a language" as "a set of strings".  "Semantics", i.e.
any correspondence between strings that are elements of the
language and any other kind of entities, is outside the issue.


Alex