The syntax of C (note: homework task)
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From: BGB / cr88192 on 8 Jul 2010 13:36 "bart.c" <bartc(a)freeuk.com> wrote in message news:g7hZn.85280$9c1.32026(a)hurricane... > > "Fred Nurk" <albert.xtheunknown0(a)gmail.com> wrote in message > news:WAbZn.374$Yv.160(a)viwinnwfe01.internal.bigpond.com... >> I'm doing my IT holiday homework and I get this: >> >> Investigate your chosen programming or scripting language and determine >> the following: >> >> ... >> (d) What is the syntax of the language? >> >> I've chosen C. In table 8.3 (Programming languages and codes), under PHP, >> it says: 'Syntax is fairly simple and similar to that of Perl, with some >> aspects like Javascript and C.' >> Under ActionScript, it says: 'Has its own syntax that determines which >> characters and words are used to create meaning and in which order they >> can be written.' >> >> Do you think: 'Syntax (of C) is the basis of the syntax of many other >> high-level programming/scripting languages. > >> Pointer and structure syntax >> can become complex.' is adequate? > > It would be wrong; they're not particularly complex. > > What *are* complex are type declarations, which can become near impossible > to decipher without special tools or following an algorithm. > > Fortunately most languages that borrowed it's syntax wisely decided not to > copy it's type declarations. > agreed... even though, for example, declarations in C# or Java resemble those of C, their underlying mechanics are somewhat different, and as a result it is possible to parse C# or Java without knowing in advance what the types are, but similar is not possible with C or C++. granted, it is possible that one could make a sort of "faux C" which uses a C# style syntax, although at the cost that it would not generally be fully source-compatible with C. oddly enough, a lot of my code is forced into a similar notation anyways, mostly as I tend to use specialized code-processing tools which place restrictions on the allowed syntax (as they are fairly dumb tools with an incomplete understanding of the language syntax).
From: Denis McMahon on 8 Jul 2010 15:06 On 08/07/10 04:27, Fred Nurk wrote: > Do you think: 'Syntax (of C) is the basis of the syntax of many other > high-level programming/scripting languages. Pointer and structure syntax > can become complex.' is adequate? If you really thought it was adequate, you wouldn't even be asking. Rgds Denis McMahon
From: Bart van Ingen Schenau on 9 Jul 2010 08:44 On Jul 8, 6:09 am, Fred Nurk <albert.xtheunkno...(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Ian Collins wrote: > > <snip> > > Where is this table you refer to? > > Athttp://sites.google.com/site/xtheunknown0/information-technology > > > <snip> > > Adequate for what? The question appears to be looking for a description > > of the language syntax (which would be long), not how it relates to > > others. > > Well, my IT course doesn't really go into any specific programming > language. I doubt that a 'description of the language syntax' would be > expected. > > Do you think that my answer models the 'overviews' in the textbook? No. The table you refer to seems to give, mostly, a short description of the defining characteristics of the languages, along the lines of answers to the question "What makes languag X be language X". > > TIA, > Fred Bart v Ingen Schenau
From: Daniel Pitts on 9 Jul 2010 17:24
On 7/7/2010 8:27 PM, Fred Nurk wrote: > I'm doing my IT holiday homework and I get this: > > Investigate your chosen programming or scripting language and determine > the following: > > ... > (d) What is the syntax of the language? > > I've chosen C. In table 8.3 (Programming languages and codes), under PHP, > it says: 'Syntax is fairly simple and similar to that of Perl, with some > aspects like Javascript and C.' > Under ActionScript, it says: 'Has its own syntax that determines which > characters and words are used to create meaning and in which order they > can be written.' > > Do you think: 'Syntax (of C) is the basis of the syntax of many other > high-level programming/scripting languages. Pointer and structure syntax > can become complex.' is adequate? > > TIA, > Fred The Syntax of C is losely based on the Algol family of languages. It is primarily an imperative language, with syntax for flow control structures and data structures. -- Daniel Pitts' Tech Blog: <http://virtualinfinity.net/wordpress/> |