Short Version

Notation-building = Create Syntax as a skin. Let the Toolbox language handle the rest.

[Akin to using Regexps in JS vs. building a full-blown lexer].

Mindset

A Notation is a cheap-to-build little language.

Physicists use a trick: invent a notation to describe a problem, then, solve the problem in that notation.

Programmers do this backwards - they choose the notation first (e.g. FP, Python, etc.), and then force-fit the problem (and the solution) into the notation.

Syntax is Cheap

It used to be that creating little languages was expensive, e.g. years. It is, now, possible to build little languages in an afternoon. (One secret is learning how to cheat).

Goal

Goal: Allow for change. Write code that writes code.

Assembler Nouveau

Treat existing languages as “assembler”.

New-Breed Notations

Python, JS, WASM, Lisp, etc. are but “assembly language” for new-breed Notations.

Example

Glue