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Two New Microsoft Languages - AsmL and Pan

Posted by timothy on from the wonder-if-they'll-open-the-source dept.

AlphaAlien (from neonerds.net) writes: "Another Microsoft Programming Language -- AsmL. AsmL is the Abstract State Machine Language. It is an executable specification language based on the theory of Abstract State Machines. AsmL allows you to test incomplete code due to it being executable on the fly. This doesn't mean it'll execute invalid code though, only that you can execute code segments for instant experimentation (similar to the test-debug function in Visual Studio, but more flexible/powerful). In case you're not tired of all these new Microsoft languages, here's another, Pan. Pan is an experimental embedded language and compiler for image synthesis and manipulation, based on principles from functional programming. The Pan compiler turns descriptions of images and image effects into efficient machine code for use with either a stand-alone program, DirectXTransform for web-page embedding (viewable with IE 5.5 or later), or as a PhotoShop plug-in for use with hosts like Adobe PhotoShop and JASC PaintShop Pro (has only been tested with latter at this point, but should work with former)." You can download Pan from here.

3 of 65 comments (clear)

  1. Microsoft Research, not Microsoft by Tom7 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Once again, you guys are confusing Microsoft Research with Microsoft. It's a different place. They don't put out crappy, buggy software, or try to take over the world. It's just a research lab.

    Incidentally, MSR Cambridge has some of the best programming language researchers in the world! (Personally, I wish the linux world had more tolerance for new PL ideas..)

    1. Re:Microsoft Research, not Microsoft by Tom7 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I'm reacting to the posts in this article, many of which are knee-jerks like "ANOTHER language from Microsoft! Who needs more languages??" It's true that lots of languages run on linux (though most of the ones you list are C or safe-C variants), though I don't think there is much enthusiasm for *new* programming language ideas on linux. That's pretty sad, because the linux folks are the ones who are supposed to adopt ideas because of their technical value!

  2. OS alternative to AsmL by Capt.Smirk · · Score: 2, Insightful
    I've been following the abstract state machine community for some time. You can find more about ASM's at http://www.eecs.umich.edu/gasm/. An open source community building their own specification language has a site on SourceForge: http://sourceforge.net/projects/a-s-m/

    I was kind of sorry to see that ASM's inventor, Yuri Gurevich, left the University of Michigan for Microsoft Research. However, I'd probably take private research over the hassle of teaching while doing research.