Malbolge!: Programming from Hell
TLDRThis video explores the esoteric programming language Mel bulge, designed for difficulty by Ben Olmstead in 1998. It covers Mel bulge's trinary system, eight commands, and the challenges of writing programs in it. The first Mel bulge program was created by Andrew Cook using a search algorithm, and later, Lou Sheffer and Matthias Luta developed more complex programs, demonstrating the language's potential despite its intentionally obfuscated nature.
Takeaways
- 🤖 High-level programming languages like Python and Java abstract away the complexities of memory management.
- 🔍 C++ is a high-level language that includes features like objects and methods, but also gives more control over memory with pointers.
- 📚 Assembly language is a low-level language that directly instructs the processor, while esoteric languages are unconventional and can be based on various concepts like musical notes.
- 🎥 The video creator has made over 35 videos on programming languages but had not covered Malbolge until this video.
- 😈 Malbolge is an esoteric programming language designed to be extremely difficult to use, named after the eighth circle of hell in Dante's 'Inferno'.
- 🧩 Malbolge operates on a simulated trinary computer, using 'trits' instead of 'bits', with memory split into machine words of 10 trits each.
- 🔄 Malbolge has eight commands, including 'V' to stop the program, 'J' to set pointers, and '*' for a complex operation involving trits rotation and encryption.
- 🔑 The actual command in Malbolge is determined by adding the code pointer to the data pointed to by the code pointer and taking the remainder with respect to 94.
- 🕵️♂️ The first Malbolge program was written by Andrew Cook in 2000, who used a search algorithm to find the program since it was too complex to write manually.
- 📝 Lou Sheffer wrote the first non-trivial Malbolge program in 2004, treating it more as an encryption system that produces output.
- 🔄 Matthias Lutz used cycles in the Malbolge encryption system to write a visible 'cat' program that prints whatever is inputted.
Q & A
What is the primary purpose of high-level programming languages like Python or Java?
-High-level programming languages like Python or Java are designed to provide a lot of features for writing the logic of a program without worrying about how memory is managed.
How does C++ differ from languages like Python or Java?
-C++ is considered somewhat high-level as it has objects and methods, but it also includes pointers, which give more control over how memory is managed.
What is assembly language and how does it relate to higher-level languages?
-Assembly language is a low-level programming language that tells the processor how to process things directly, as opposed to higher-level languages which abstract away these details.
What are esoteric programming languages and why were they developed?
-Esoteric programming languages are unconventional languages that may take unusual forms, such as musical notes or extremely simplified command sets. They were developed as a novelty or for specific niche purposes.
Why was the Mel bulge programming language created?
-Mel bulge was developed by Ben Olmstead in 1998 and was designed to be difficult to use, named after the eighth circle of hell in Dante's Inferno, which is for practitioners of deception, fraud, and thievery.
How does Mel bulge differ from other programming languages in terms of its computational model?
-Mel bulge operates on a simulated trinary computer, using trits instead of bits, with memory split into machine words consisting of 10 trits each.
What are the three main registers in Mel bulge and what are their functions?
-The three main registers in Mel bulge are the accumulator, the code pointer, and the data pointer. The accumulator holds data, the code pointer points to the current instruction, and the data pointer points to the current data.
What is the significance of the 'crazy operation' in Mel bulge?
-The 'crazy operation' is a command in Mel bulge that takes every trit in both the accumulator and the data pointer, evaluates them according to a nonsensical table, and stores the result back into the accumulator and data pointer.
How did Andrew Cook approach writing the first Mel bulge program?
-Andrew Cook used a beam search algorithm to explore possible program states and find a 'hello world' program in Mel bulge. This approach involved letting a computer algorithm search for a working program rather than manually writing it.
What is a 'cat program' in the context of programming languages?
-A 'cat program' is a simple program that takes an input and prints whatever is inputted, similar to the 'cat' command in Unix-based systems which concatenates and displays files.
How did Matthias Lutat approach writing a visible Mel bulge program?
-Matthias Lutat used cycles in the Mel bulge encryption system to create a visible 'cat program'. He exploited the fact that some instructions could loop over and over again without changing the accumulator to achieve the desired output.
Outlines
🤖 Introduction to Programming Languages and Mel Bulge
This paragraph introduces the concept of programming languages, starting from high-level languages like Python and Java, which abstract away memory management. It then moves on to lower-level languages like C++ and assembly, which provide more control over memory. The speaker also mentions esoteric programming languages, which are intentionally designed to be difficult or unusual. The main focus of this paragraph is the introduction of Mel Bulge, a programming language designed to be incomprehensible and difficult to use, named after the eighth circle of hell in Dante's Inferno, which is reserved for practitioners of deception, fraud, and thievery.
💻 Understanding Mel Bulge's Trinary System and Commands
This paragraph delves into the specifics of Mel Bulge's programming model. Unlike typical binary systems, Mel Bulge operates on a trinary system, using trits instead of bits. It explains the memory structure, which is split into machine words consisting of 10 trits each. The paragraph also details the three main registers: the accumulator, code pointer, and data pointer, and how they are manipulated. Mel Bulge has eight possible commands, including V (stop), I (set code pointer), J (set data pointer), and others that involve loading data, rotating trits, and printing ASCII characters. The complexity of the language is highlighted by the fact that commands are encoded and encrypted in a non-intuitive manner.
🔍 The First Mel Bulge Programs and Their Creation
This paragraph discusses the creation of the first Mel Bulge programs. Andrew Cook wrote the first program using a search algorithm to find a working 'Hello World' program, highlighting the language's complexity. The concept of 'normalized Mel Bulge' is introduced, which simplifies the opcodes used in the language. The paragraph also covers the creation of a 'cat' program by Lou Sheffer, which prints whatever is inputted, and how it was approached as an encryption system. Matthias Luta's visible cat program is also mentioned, which uses cycles in the encryption system to create a working program.
🚀 Escaping Hell and the Consequences of Unshackling Clippett
In this humorous and fictional paragraph, the speaker and others find themselves in hell, trying to escape. They discover a character named Clippett, who is shackled. Despite warnings, they unshackle him, leading to disastrous consequences. Clippett, revealed to be an office assistant, causes chaos and the speaker is humorously condemned for their actions. This paragraph serves as a light-hearted and satirical commentary on the challenges and absurdity of dealing with Mel Bulge and its impact on those who interact with it.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡High-level programming language
💡C++
💡Assembly
💡Esoteric programming languages
💡Malbolge
💡Trinary computer
💡Opcode
💡Crazy operation
💡No-op
💡Normalized Malbolge
💡Beam search algorithm
Highlights
Most application developers use high-level programming languages like Python or Java, which handle memory management without the developer's intervention.
C++ is a high-level language with objects and methods but also includes pointers for more control over memory management.
Assembly language instructs the processor directly, providing detailed control over operations.
Esoteric programming languages are designed to be unconventional, sometimes using musical notes or simplifying commands.
The Mel bulge programming language was created to be intentionally difficult, named after the eighth circle of hell in Dante's Inferno.
Mel bulge operates on a simulated trinary computer, using trits instead of bits, with memory split into machine words of 10 trits each.
Mel bulge has three registers: the accumulator, code pointer, and data pointer, which are manipulated in non-trivial ways.
The code and data pointers in Mel bulge increment on their own after each command, adding complexity to program control flow.
Mel bulge has eight possible commands, including V to stop the program, J to set pointers, and various operations to manipulate data.
The 'crazy operation' in Mel bulge involves a complex rotation of trits based on an arbitrary table, making it difficult to understand.
The less than symbol in Mel bulge is a simple command that prints the accumulator as an ASCII character.
Mel bulge commands are specified by adding the code pointer to the data pointed to by the code pointer and taking the remainder with respect to 94.
After writing a command in Mel bulge, the code pointer is encrypted according to a specific table, further complicating the language.
The first Mel bulge program was written in 2000 by Andrew Cook, who used a search algorithm to find the program rather than writing it manually.
Normalized Mel bulge simplifies the language by using symbols directly for commands, making it slightly more understandable.
Lou Sheffer wrote the first non-trivial Mel bulge program, a 'cat' program, by viewing Mel bulge as an encryption system that produces output.
Matthias Luta developed a visible Mel bulge 'cat' program by exploiting cycles in the Mel bulge encryption system.
Transcripts
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