>Precisely. The whole "my language is better" argument is completely void. Syntax is mostly a matter of preference. Semantic will make the structure of your program different but in the end there is no actual difference on what you can do only on how you will do it.
That is extraordinarily wrong.
Syntax:
1) affects the structure of a program,
2) affects how we think about it,
3) affects what is easy to do and what is not,
4) adds or removes mental strain on reasoning about the program,
5) forbids or enables certain kinds of errors.
And much more.
The idea that syntax doesn't matter and is "a matter of preference" is completely bogus. The human mind has certain limitations and capabilities. Some syntaxes cater to that, some do not.
No one using Brainfuck will never be as productive as Python, to take an extreme case.
> No one using Brainfuck will never be as productive as Python, to take an extreme case.
Isn't it a good thing then, that no one prefers using Brainfuck to using Python at work? Leaving things up to preference doesn't mean that all the choices are the same. It means that the languages and the use cases are so varied that it isn't a good idea to restrict oneself blindly to a language before evaluating the use case. It doesn't seem like you are really in disagreement.
>It doesn't seem like you are really in disagreement.
Oh, I'm very, very much in disagreement.
It's not just about "preference" as if preference is arbitrary.
Superficial syntactic preference IS arbitrary.
Substancial syntax issues are not.
Brainfuck is not just left alone because people don't "prefer" its syntax. That's reading it in reverse. People don't prefer Brainfuck's syntax because it is objectively, and for reasons related to human psychology, cognition, etc bad.
E.g it makes it measurably difficult to discern different program states.
That is extraordinarily wrong.
Syntax:
1) affects the structure of a program,
2) affects how we think about it,
3) affects what is easy to do and what is not,
4) adds or removes mental strain on reasoning about the program,
5) forbids or enables certain kinds of errors.
And much more.
The idea that syntax doesn't matter and is "a matter of preference" is completely bogus. The human mind has certain limitations and capabilities. Some syntaxes cater to that, some do not.
No one using Brainfuck will never be as productive as Python, to take an extreme case.