CPSC 425 Spring 2008
More Information on Language Assignment
Paper
As described in the original assignment, the primary goal of your
paper is to help the reader understand what is interesting about
your language. At a minimum, your paper should address
the following questions:
- When was this language developed, by whom, and for what purpose?
- Why is this language of interest? That is, what are its distinguishing
features? For what sorts of problems is it particularly effective?
Ineffective? What, if anything, is or was it commonly used for?
- What other language(s) are similar to this language? What are the
major commonalities and differences, and how are they significant?
Another way to think of this is to ask where your language resides
in the programming language landscape and what contributions it makes.
In addition, describe your experience in learning and using this
language. Particularly address what elements of this language
you were able to relate to other programming languages you already knew, and
what elements were entirely new to you. Again, write for an
experienced programmer who does not know this language but is interested
in learning a little about it.
Oral Presentation
Oral presentations will be on Tuesday, April 15, and will be
organized in panels as discussed in class. Each panel will have only
30 minutes, so efficient use of time will be critical. At a minimum,
each panel
should include the following in their presentation:
- An explanation of what these languages have in common, that is,
why they might be grouped together (as for this panel).
- A discussion of how these commonalities are manifested in each language.
- A discussion of how these languages are different from each
other in spite of their commonalities.
In all cases be sure to focus on important and interesting language
elements.
You may find it useful to use handouts or visual aids. Please let me know
of any support you need in these areas ahead of time.