> For example, Smalltalk, Forth, and Common Lisp are radically "integrated" systems, in which the languages themselves can be redefined at runtime. There, it's in a way academic to talk about the formal grammar and semantics of the language in a "Platonic" sense.
Not as academic as you might think. We could analyse how easily a language makes such an integration possible. I'm not sure you could have a lispy environment in C, for instance.
Once you know what kind of ecosystem a language enables, you can compare those ecosystems. (As opposed to existing ecosystems, which are highly influenced by sheer popularity and historical accidents.)
Not as academic as you might think. We could analyse how easily a language makes such an integration possible. I'm not sure you could have a lispy environment in C, for instance.
Once you know what kind of ecosystem a language enables, you can compare those ecosystems. (As opposed to existing ecosystems, which are highly influenced by sheer popularity and historical accidents.)