English-like Python

[sturlamolden]

On Jan 16, 8:39 am, Erik Max Francis <m... at alcyone.com> wrote:

> I was thinking of this as well when I saw his post.  Inform 7 has some
> interesting ideas, but I think the general problem with English-like
> programming language systems is that once you get into the nitty gritty
> details, you end up having to know exactly the right things to type,
> which ultimately get just as complicated as a more traditional
> programming language syntax.  In the big picture I don't think it helps
> much.  After all, there's a reason that most modern programming
> languages don't look like COBOL or AppleScript.

COBOL looks like English to facilitate reading programs, not writing
them. COBOL is for use in places where programs must be read and
verified by possibly computer-illiterate personnel. E.g. in bank and
finance where (at least in some countries) everything must be
supervised and approved by professional accountants. COBOL is still
the dominating language in that domain.