A syntax for IRON (by alaric)

Back in 2004 I jotted some notes on requirements for IRON types.

Since then I've been drifting somewhat towards looser typing, in the Lisp model; having that as the underlying system provides for more expressive programming power, while optional type declarations as assertions, where required, can bring back the statically checkable safety and runtime efficiency of a strict type system.

But that's not what I'm posting about in the current insomniac haze - I've been thinking about written syntax.

IRON is a data model for values. Although I'm still deciding how the mutable data structures like queues fit into things (specifications of them are definitely needed for TUNGSTEN, but whether they count as part of IRON or not is something I'm still debating), I think I may have settled on a basic syntax for written values.

Now, the key requirement here is that IRON is, in the manner of S-expressions, usable to express just about anything - from source code to boring data. Creating a written data syntax that's pleasant enough to use day in and day out is quite a challenge. s-expressions come pretty close, but are deficient in a few areas. YAML is pretty good, but I wouldn't want to write source code in it.

The main thing I'm adding over s-expressions is Smalltalk-like syntax, which I will explain in detail below.

So, without further ado, here's a basic IRON syntax.

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Up Date on the Jeany-bow (by sarah)

torta = water which she recognises in all is guizes bar steam and ice!

Juice = juice

Milllllll k = milk yep shes starting to actually put the constanants on the ends of words now!

CHEESE! = any food that is not fruit which is obviously = nanna

baby sign wise she has started to do signs that we never got round to teaching her but we know that some of the other kids at nursery know it though they staff don't really use it there.

Cold and thirsty are ones we hadn't taught her and its not coincident becuase its the right sign with the right meaning!

ot! = hot often with the baby sigh - this also refers to any drink in a mug reguardles of weather it has ice cubes in!

Meeeeme = Minni or any cat infact even though she can say cat :/

Doggy = dog and horse and any quadrapede she doesn't yet know the name for except sheep.

Cow = cow - these were origonally doggy but she cuaght on as soon as we said they were cows, unfortunatly sheep are also cows.

Dug wack = duck quack which is any bird she sees and has strangers in fits of laughter as I inform her no thats a pigeon.

Sog = sock

rowsers = trousers or tights

at = hat sounds like cat except she pats her head at the same time

more! = may I have some more mummy or please don't take that away mymmy

no! = Jeans favourite word

Ewrk = icky yuck a word to mean something she shouldnt eat or touch and that she uses when tapping her napping to indicate that we should change her - often accumpanied by the poo sign.

Mine! = any object that Jean currently wants

shoes = want to go outside

car doot doot = vechile of some sort

door = please open the door mummy

ta choo = a cross between ta and thankyou

car mine = little rickshor modile Seth gave her

Theres more but its all mummy, daddy, nanny, jean, eye, hair that sort of thing - oh and book!

The Programmers Lamment (by sarah)

I want feed back on this poem - I'm not sure how to set it out for a start - I was supposed to be writing in two line stanzers - free verse but I dont really under stand what that means so I gave up with the formal structure and wrote what came into my head - warning it does sort of contain a swear - not my fult blame the programmers.

Would lovew feed back - be harsh

Tap, tap, tapping away, Fingers flying, strange graceful dance

Notice not as light fades, consume all energies, forking demons, spawned zombi child

Dance logic, time

Tap tap tapping away, polish finger tips over letters worn

Hunger burns, Sandwitch forgotten, cat licked, stale,

Animalistic, persuing prey, Python here, Chicken there

tap tap tapping, wrist support frayed, mundane treasures, Ruby, Perl

Water sits, bubble strewn, littering your domain

Intently stare, bugs annialated, or so you prey

tap tap tapping, spinning ball, shift to corner, back again

3 am, time for sleep, red eye raw

cup of coffee, jar of beans

headaching, back stooped, so much to sort, so much to do

tap tap tapping. between the sheets, misty bruised dawn, comes and creeps

Power low, reserves giving out, drowsy talk, lisp, dialected, scheme

thought process hard, more tests more

Leached knowledge, sleep, dream, Brainfuck, But still keen

CRB trial and identity cards (by alaric)

Last night, I had a funny feeling there was something special about today... sure, it's our third wedding anniversary, but something else...

Oh yes. I'd agreed to go to Bristol about three months ago.

Quickly I checked the time I needed to be there - 1:20pm to 3:20pm - phew; I'd neither need to be up specially early, or be back too late to take Sarah to her writer's circle or stop off at the district scouting supplies shop to pick up some badges my Cubs had earned.

So what was I in Bristol for? The Criminal Records Bureau trial of their planned new identity checking procedures...

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Happy Anniversary! (by sarah)

Wow - we've been married for three whole years today which seems absolutely amazing!

Alarics still asleep but as he came to bed after midnight I've already wished him Happy Anniversary - time is just flying!

This also means we've had this blog for three years aswell which seems incredible - of course it took me awhile before I realised how to use the blog but I think I'm getting there 🙂

Of course due to health issues and a few finacial ones our life plans have been a bit up and down but we are slowely getting there! We still don't have ducks and bees and I for one do not currently have the energy for them as I'm not coping with doing household stuff anyway - hernia, back problems etc.... but Als still keen and hopefully we will eventually be more financially stable.

Of course in the original plan I should be in the middle of a PhD but haven't even gone back to the MRes yet, what I didn't expect was to suddenly become a web designer and most recently an illistrator (maybe) but these are the jobs I am getting and this is what I am currently doing along with setting myself down the path of writer - I got my first rejection slip this month so things are going good - no seriously it was a nice regection slip for the first thing I ever submitted and it was to a high profile scifi mag.

Living with Al has certianly had me on a steep learning curve what with industrial scale chutney making for him and working out whats edible in the garden and whats not!

I find myself emersed into a world of computers - so much so that I've started writing poetry about it :/ But thats another story - I do however miss my rocks, especially me little slivers of meteorite and I know that Alaric feels guilty that its my career on hold and this tells me that when I do get to go back he's going to support me.

He's lovely he is - I'm still always startled to see that so many marages don;t survive the first two years - we struggeled to realise that much time had passed.

Still this year it is leather themed so I have a scared Alaric on my hands (of course he's getting a nice leather tool roll but he thinks he's getting a loin cloth!).