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From: Peter Chapin <PChapin@vtc.vsc.edu>
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Subject: Re: Build language with weak typing, then add scaffolding later to
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Date: 2015-05-25T19:05:24-04:00
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On Mon, 25 May 2015, Nasser M. Abbasi wrote:

> I forgot Fortran. Here is the list again
>
> C++      : 1366 pages
> Ada      : 944  pages
> Fortran  : 675  pages
> C        : 552  pages
> Pascal   : 98   pages

The size of the reference manual may (probably) says something about the 
complexity of the language, but I'm not sure what. It may also say 
something about the care with which the description was written. Many 
specifications are incomplete to one degree or another. Fully specifying 
all the fine details of even a simple language is likely to result in a 
longish reference manual. Fully specifying all the fine details of a 
complex language is likely to result in an enormous reference manual. 
That's only natural.

Another point to keep in mind is that the size of the reference manuals 
above include, at least in most cases, information about the associated 
standard libraries. A simple language with a huge library will have a 
large manual. A language reference without any information about the 
library will, of course, be much smaller.

I haven't read the Oberon Report but I can't help but wonder if it's 
leaving out a lot.

Peter