Turing tarpit
A Turing tarpit (or Turing tar-pit) is any programming language or computer interface that allows for flexibility in function but is difficult to learn and use because it offers little or no support for common tasks.[1] The phrase was coined in 1982 by Alan Perlis in the Epigrams on Programming:[2]
54. Beware of the Turing tar-pit in which everything is possible but nothing of interest is easy.
Perlis did not further explain the term or offer examples, leaving readers to speculate on his meaning. As a pioneer in programming language technology, he had participated in the specification of ALGOL, a language that provided a rich algorithmic syntax but no standard input/output facilities. Accordingly, Peter Wegner identified real-time interaction with an environment as an aspect of practical computing that traditional mathematical models like the Turing machine failed to address.[3]
The term has since become associated with esoteric programming languages that are intentionally designed to be universal but impractical.[4] Using such languages is a form of mathematical recreation: programmers can work out how to achieve basic programming constructs in an extremely difficult but mathematically Turing-equivalent language.[5]
See also
References
- ^ "Turing Tarpit". wiki.c2.com. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
- ^ Perlis, A (September 1982). "Epigrams on Programming". ACM SIGPLAN Notices. 17 (9). Yale University: 7–13. doi:10.1145/947955.1083808. S2CID 20512767.
- ^ Wegner, Peter (May 1997). "Why Interaction Is More Powerful Than Algorithms". Communications of the ACM. 40 (5): 80–91.
- ^ Chandra, V (2014). Geek Sublime: The Beauty of Code, the Code of Beauty. Graywolf Press. ISBN 9781555973261. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
turing tarpit.
- ^ Esoteric Topics in Computer Programming, Cat's Eye Technologies, Canada. ("They present the programmer with the challenge, intrigue, and entertainment of looking at known algorithms and concepts in a whole new light.")
Further reading
- G. Fischer, A.C. Lemke, "Constrained Design Processes: Steps Toward Convivial Computing", Technical Report CU-CS-369-87, University of Colorado, USA.
- E.L. Hutchins, J.D. Hollan, D.A. Norman, Hutchins, Edwin L.; Hollan, James D.; Norman, Donald A. (1 December 1985). "Direct Manipulation Interfaces" (PDF). Human–Computer Interaction. 1 (4): 311–338. doi:10.1207/s15327051hci0104_2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2010.. Also found in Donald A. Norman; Stephen W. Draper (1 January 1986). User Centered System Design: New Perspectives on Human-computer Interaction. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-89859-872-8.
- Esolangs, Turing Tarpit.