

Using TeX to control a Mars rover (see page 5) - eru
http://www.haskell.org/sitewiki/images/8/85/TMR-Issue13.pdf

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cduan
Just to be sure, this was about using TeX, not LaTeX. The relationship between
them is much like Ruby and Rails: LaTeX is a package of macros that operate on
the TeX programming language.

TeX is an enjoyable language for programming--it's something like writing in
lambda calculus. It's too bad most people don't realize it's a complete
language. I use it all the time for generating automated documents and such.

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Nosferax
I don't understand how a language designed for document programming can be a
good choice for controlling a rover..

Is it a joke, is he really serious about this?

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jcl
Both: He's not seriously proposing that TeX is a good choice for the task, but
he was serious about accomplishing the task, and he managed to turn it into a
paper for publication.

In this case "controlling a rover" was the task of the 2008 ICFP programming
contest, and he thought it would be "interesting" to write an entry using TeX.
While he wasn't the highest scoring entry, he won the judges' prize for his
unusual approach.

A more practical explanation of the project, from his blog:
<http://sdh33b.blogspot.com/2008/07/icfp-contest-2008.html>

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yannis
There was this apocryphal rumour going on, when I was doing my Ph.D, that if
you could master LaTex and TeX you deserved your Ph.D, your reserch was
actually a marginal note! Excellent article!

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eru
Of course the Typeclassopedia later in that issue is also worth a look.

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jrockway
Wow, yes it is. I wish I had read this two years ago.

