A Plain English Compiler

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A Plain English Compiler
14 answers - 909 bytes -
Since this is the 21st century, shouldn't we be able to talk to our
computers in our own language?
Well, I speak english, and I found this compiler at www.osmosian.com
that actually lets me use regular english sentences to program. I
didn't have to learn any cryptic syntax or weird combinations of
puncuation. It's just plain english.
It compiles to native Windows Executables and was written entirely in
itself (Plain English). It's pretty cool.
[Attempts to program computers in natural language go back to the
1950s. English is a swell language to write poetry, but a bad
language to write computer programs because its semantics are
ill-defined and its grammar is large, complex, and often ambiguous.
You can certainly chop English down to a small unambiguous subset, but
then you've just reinvented Cobol. -John]
No.1 | | 660 bytes | |
danrzeppa@gmail.com wrote:
Well, I speak english, and I found this compiler at www.osmosian.com
that actually lets me use regular english sentences to program. I
didn't have to learn any cryptic syntax or weird combinations of
puncuation. It's just plain english.

It compiles to native Windows Executables and was written entirely in
itself (Plain English). It's pretty cool.

I'm sure it's cool, but are *you* sure you just "found this compiler
at www.osmosian.com"? The WHIS information for osmosian.com lists
"Dan Rzeppa" as the administrative and technical contact.

Louis
No.2 | | 324 bytes | |
All,

Since this is the 21st century, shouldn't we be able to talk to our
computers in our own language?

For those of you with a slightly less ambitious aim, I am collecting
information and links for an English lint like tool (ie, a grammar
checker).

Suggestions welcome.
No.3 | | 316 bytes | |
>Well, I speak english, and I found this compiler at www.osmosian.com

Nice, very nice.

Lucky for me my anti-virus protection prevented the virus infected
sample to execute.

Hans, http://www.hansotten.com
[ I don't run Windows, so I didn't look at it. -John]
No.4 | | 849 bytes | |
Louis Krupp <lkrupp@pssw.nospam.com.invalidwrites:

danrzeppa@gmail.com wrote:
>Well, I speak english, and I found this compiler at www.osmosian.com
>that actually lets me use regular english sentences to program. I
>didn't have to learn any cryptic syntax or weird combinations of
>puncuation. It's just plain english.
>>
>It compiles to native Windows Executables and was written entirely in
>itself (Plain English). It's pretty cool.
>
I'm sure it's cool, but are *you* sure you just "found this compiler
at www.osmosian.com"? The WHIS information for osmosian.com lists
"Dan Rzeppa" as the administrative and technical contact.

Louis

Don't be mean, Louis, he may just be amnesic.
No.5 | | 981 bytes | |
<danrzeppa@gmail.comwrote
Since this is the 21st century, shouldn't we be able to talk to our
computers in our own language?

Well, I speak english, and I found this compiler at www.osmosian.com
that actually lets me use regular english sentences to program. I
didn't have to learn any cryptic syntax or weird combinations of
puncuation. It's just plain english.

It compiles to native Windows Executables and was written entirely in
itself (Plain English). It's pretty cool.

It is pretty cool for a toy application though not so interesting
in terms of compiler theory.

The site claims to have a program which can draw anything you
describe. When I was connected to the internet, it worked like a
charm, drawing pictures of George Bush, for example. Unfortunately,
when I *wasn't* connected to the internet, it would only draw strings
of the form "Could not connect to
"
-
No.6 | | 1219 bytes | |
Nice, very nice.

Yes, very, very intriguing.

I bought a copy of CAL-3036 and its a "minor work of genius", its a great
"toy" (BTW I call Java and Java VM a toy).

CAL-3036 "understands" a limited subset of English, you have to know
how to say things and you have to know how to think within its
"mindset". You have to be a programmer to be able to program it as it
does not understand most normal English statements, having said that I
would have loved it as a teenager. It would be a great present for
kids who are learning to program.

As a "scripting" language within applications it would be really good
for power users.

The compiler is "Meta" and is written in itself, everything needed to
use and port it are includeed within it. All its tools are written in
its "English". It can manipulate and communicate with the binary level
and with Windows API.

Lucky for me my anti-virus protection prevented the virus infected
sample to execute.

I am 100% sure it has no virus or trojan. It scans clean using McAfee.
It does however want internet access to download some pictures it uses from
Google Images.

Aaron
No.7 | | 766 bytes | |
H <msxhans@yahoo.comwrites:
>>Well, I speak english, and I found this compiler at www.osmosian.com
>
Nice, very nice.

Lucky for me my anti-virus protection prevented the virus infected
sample to execute.

Hans, http://www.hansotten.com
[ I don't run Windows, so I didn't look at it. -John]

Interesting. My anti-virus program (Symantec AntiVirus with the
latest updates) didn't find anything bad; either I had a false
negative or you had a false positive.

I'm certainly not going to try it, though; the claim by the site's
registered owner that he "found" the site is enough to destroy any
possible trust I might have had.
No.8 | | 410 bytes | |
Nice, very nice.

Yes, very, very intriguing. I think I may well buy it just to see it own
compilers source code !

Lucky for me my anti-virus protection prevented the virus infected
sample to execute.

I am relatively sure it has no virus or trojan. It scans clean using McAfee.
It does however want internet access to download some pictures it uses.

Aaron
No.9 | | 2310 bytes | |
danrzeppa@gmail.com wrote:

Since this is the 21st century, shouldn't we be able to talk to our
computers in our own language?

Well, I speak english, and I found this compiler at www.osmosian.com
that actually lets me use regular english sentences to program. I
didn't have to learn any cryptic syntax or weird combinations of
puncuation. It's just plain english.

should be aware of that the historical development of mathematics
is going the opposite direction, going from using natural language to
symbols, because it is more expressive to the human.

For example, in the beginning, one might have said "add the first unknown
quantity to the second unknown quantity", but after awhile, symbols "x",
"+", and "y" are introduced, resulting in the more succinct, "x + y".

So, one can go ahead with mathematics, and simply write out in words
the*mathematical language, and then design a grammar for that. For
example, "f(x)" would be "the function f applied to x", and so on. But
very simple formulas would quickly become unparsable by humans.

Also, when inventing new notation, one should consider this quote by Mark
Twain, about English spelling reform:

For example, in Year 1 that useless letter "c" would be dropped
to be replased either by "k" or "s", and likewise "x" would no longer
be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which "c" would be retained
would be the "ch" formation, which will be dealt with later. Year 2
might reform "w" spelling, so that "which" and "one" would take the
same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish "y" replasing it with
"i" and Iear 4 might fiks the "g/j" anomali wonse and for all.
Jenerally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear
with Iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and Iears 6-12
or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants.
Bai Iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi
ridandant letez "c", "y" and "x" -- bai now jast a memori in the maindz
ov ould doderez -- tu riplais "ch", "sh", and "th" rispektivli.
Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud
hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliy-spiking werld.
Twain
No.10 | | 1056 bytes | |
19 Feb 2006 02:02:41 -0500, Keith Thompson wrote:

Keith,

Interesting. My anti-virus program (Symantec AntiVirus with the
latest updates) didn't find anything bad; either I had a false
negative or you had a false positive.

Kaspersky gives a possible virus alert, too. That, coupled with the
overall appearance of the web site (a couple of graphics instead of
text, the FAQ, the "description" about Plain English Programming, the
fact that if offers absolutely no evidence of its claims, description,
information, whatever, just an opportunity to pay with your credit
card but it doesn't even seem to tell you how much), makes me want to
stay clear of it. Either a Trojan or a hoax, but it can't be
serious. Probably a rare situation when we must ask our esteemed
moderator to act :-)

Bye,
G

DEK JAHN, G -- Budapest, Hungary
E-mail: djg@tramontana.co.hu
[I must admit that the whole thing looks rather fishy, but it does say
the price is $100. -John]
No.11 | | 562 bytes | |
Aaron Gray wrote:
Nice, very nice.

Yes, very, very intriguing. I think I may well buy it just to see it own
compilers source code !

According to your post on comp.programming you bought it three days
before making this post.

Lucky for me my anti-virus protection prevented the virus infected
sample to execute.

I am relatively sure it has no virus or trojan. It scans clean using McAfee.
It does however want internet access to download some pictures it uses.

This grass looks just like astroturf.
No.12 | | 1128 bytes | |
[The guy who said he just stumbled accross this thing last week says:]

>It is pretty cool for a toy application

We don't understand what you mean by "toy". It compiles itself. We
wrote the editor in it. We wrote the page-layout program in it, then
wrote the documentation in the page-layout program. Then we
spell-checked it. We drew the pictures for our website in it. We wrote
our JAVASCRIPT and our CGI applications in it.

>Not so interesting in terms of compiler theory.

Are you quite sure?

>When I was connected to the internet, it worked like a
charm, drawing pictures of George Bush, for example. Unfortunately,
when I *wasn't* connected to the internet

The "Cal Monet" draws like a person draws. It "remembers" or "sees" an
image, then renders an original "dab, dab, dab" work of art based on
the image. How does it "remember" and "see"? By looking in it's memory,
which, in this case, is stored on various computers around the world.
No.13 | | 956 bytes | |
Languages like AppleScript / Xtalk (sp?) found in Runtime Revolution,
SuperCard (HyperCard), and throughout the Mac world are a complete pain
when you try to figure out what some routines will do.

The problem with "English" is meaning. The "Definitive Guide to
AppleScript" begins with a discussion of just how confusing English can
be as a programming language.

Sure, I want an "easy to read" programming language, but that doesn't
mean it should be like English. English is often mangled -- I admit as a
college English teacher.

A computer language should never be ambiguous. English thrives on its
ambiguity. Sorry, but programming needs rules and limits.
- Scott
[My understanding was that the hope for Cobol was not that it would be
any easier to write than other languages, but that it would be easier
for non-experts to read. can debate how well they met that
goal. -John]
No.14 | | 527 bytes | |
Scott Wyatt <tameri@comcast.netwrote:

[snip]

>[My understanding was that the hope for Cobol was not that it would be
>any easier to write than other languages, but that it would be easier
>for non-experts to read. can debate how well they met that
>goal. -John]

Reading is one thing. Understanding is another.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko
[The hierarchically structured data was great. The verbose arithmetic less
so. -John]

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