Picat: A Logic-Based, Multi-Paradigm, Programming Language

Re:Picat: A Logic-Based, Multi-Paradigm, Programming Language by naasking on Monday March 12, 2018 @09:57AM (#16568139)

Not quite arbitrary, it's mathematically defined via Kolmogorov complexity, the latter just happens to be uncomputable, so we only have approximations using the best available compression techniques. It's good enough for rough estimates.

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Re:Picat: A Logic-Based, Multi-Paradigm, Programming Language by YeGoblynQueenne on Tuesday March 13, 2018 @04:37AM (#16574568)

In principle, maybe. In practice people mean that they can write program P in language A in n lines, whereas they need m lines to write P in language B, therefore A is better than B because m > n.

Which of course means nothing- I can probably write a hello world in 1000 lines in Java, if I try really hard. Just because I can find a shorter program in my favourite language but can't find one in yours, doesn't mean one doesn't exist. And even if you yourself can't find such a program, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

That's what I mean by "arbitrary": in practice, people come up with whatever interpretation of "expressive" suits them to claim their favourite language is more of that.

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Re:Picat: A Logic-Based, Multi-Paradigm, Programming Language by naasking on Tuesday March 13, 2018 @08:56AM (#16575711)

> Just because I can find a shorter program in my favourite language but can't find one in yours, doesn't mean one doesn't exist. And even if you yourself can't find such a program, doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

This doesn't matter. Ordering all program strings by Kolmogorov complexity means you can find the shortest program that can produce a certain output string.

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Re:Picat: A Logic-Based, Multi-Paradigm, Programming Language by YeGoblynQueenne on Tuesday March 13, 2018 @11:48AM (#16577091)

I suggest the string "The heat death of the universe should be anytime now".

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