"Hello, World" in 5 CURSED languages that no one should use

Dreams of Code
22 Oct 202313:07
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThis video embarks on a unique exploration of 'hello world' programs in five esoteric programming languages, showcasing the diverse and sometimes bizarre landscape of coding. Starting with Brainfuck, known for its minimalist approach, the video demonstrates the language's simplicity despite initial complexity. It delves into the history and challenges of INTERCAL, a parody language that complicates simple tasks. Whitespace, a language that operates solely on spaces, tabs, and line feeds, is introduced as a design marvel. The video then explores code golf through Stuck, a language where an empty file prints 'hello world', and concludes with a musical twist using VTO, a language that compiles MIDI files into code. Through these languages, the video illustrates human creativity's bounds in programming, highlighting the balance between utility, humor, and complexity.

Takeaways
  • 😃 The script introduces esoteric programming languages (esolangs), which are programming languages designed to test human creativity and push the boundaries of what's considered a programming language.
  • 🧠 The first esoteric language discussed is Brainf**k, a language that operates on an array of bytes and uses a pointer to manipulate values in the array. Writing 'Hello World' in Brainf**k involves setting byte values and using loops.
  • 🤯 INTERCAL (Compiler Language With No Pronounceable Acronym) is an older esoteric language created as a parody in 1972. It has a complex algorithm for printing characters and requires the programmer to be polite with the use of 'please' keywords.
  • ⬜ Whitespace is an esoteric language that ignores all characters except spaces, tabs, and newlines. Writing code in Whitespace involves representing values and commands using combinations of these three characters.
  • ⛳️ Code golfing languages like 'Stuck' are designed to solve challenges with the least amount of code possible. In Stuck, an empty source file translates to 'Hello World', achieving the smallest possible code size.
  • 🎵 Velato is an esoteric language that compiles MIDI files instead of text-based source code. Writing 'Hello World' in Velato involves creating a musical score using a specific notation system.
  • 🤖 Many esoteric languages are created as thought experiments or to push the boundaries of what can be considered a programming language, testing human creativity and the limits of the Turing machine.
  • 🔢 Esoteric languages often use unconventional methods for representing data and instructions, such as using specific character combinations, manipulating arrays, or encoding information in musical notes.
  • 🧩 Understanding and writing code in esoteric languages can be a challenging task, requiring developers to think outside the box and approach problem-solving from a different perspective.
  • 🤝 While some esoteric languages have practical applications, many are created purely for educational or recreational purposes, fostering a sense of community and creativity within the programming community.
Q & A

  • What are esoteric programming languages (esoLangs)?

    -Esoteric programming languages (esoLangs) are programming languages that are designed to be unusual, bizarre, or challenging to use and understand. They often have unconventional syntax, strange rules, or unique features that make them different from mainstream programming languages.

  • What is the purpose of creating esoteric programming languages?

    -While some esoteric programming languages are created for specific use cases, many are created as a means to test human creativity and explore the limits of what can be considered a programming language. They often serve as thought experiments or as a way to challenge conventional programming concepts.

  • Can you explain the basic concept behind the Brain language?

    -Brain is an esoteric programming language that uses an array of 30,000 bytes, each initialized to zero, and a byte pointer that can move up and down the array, manipulating the bytes at whichever index the pointer is currently placed at. The language uses simple commands to move the pointer, increment or decrement values, and perform loops.

  • What is the significance of the INTERCAL language?

    -INTERCAL (Compiler Language With No Pronounceable Acronym) is considered one of the earliest and most influential esoteric programming languages. It was created as a parody language in 1972, the same year as the C programming language, and was designed to be intentionally obscure and difficult to use.

  • How does the Whitespace language work?

    -Whitespace is an esoteric programming language that ignores all characters except for spaces, tabs, and line feeds. It uses combinations of these three characters to represent commands, data, and control flow. Despite its simplicity, Whitespace is a Turing-complete language, capable of performing any computation.

  • What is code golfing, and how is it related to esoteric programming languages?

    -Code golfing is an activity where programmers attempt to solve a programming challenge using the smallest possible amount of code, measured in either bytes or characters. Esoteric programming languages are often used for code golfing because they can express concepts with fewer characters or bytes than traditional programming languages.

  • Can you explain the concept behind the Stuck language?

    -Stuck is an esoteric programming language designed specifically for code golfing. Its unique behavior is that an empty source file automatically translates to the output 'hello world', allowing for the smallest possible golf score of zero bytes.

  • What makes the VisualTo (VVVVVV) language unusual?

    -VisualTo (VVVVVV) is an esoteric programming language that doesn't use text-based source code. Instead, it compiles MIDI files, which are typically used for representing musical sequences. Programmers must create or manipulate MIDI files to write code in VisualTo, making it particularly challenging for non-musicians.

  • Why might someone be interested in learning or exploring esoteric programming languages?

    -People might be interested in esoteric programming languages for various reasons, such as exploring the boundaries of what can be considered a programming language, challenging themselves with unconventional programming concepts, or simply for the novelty and entertainment value of working with these unusual languages.

  • Can esoteric programming languages have practical applications, or are they primarily created for entertainment and academic purposes?

    -While most esoteric programming languages are created for entertainment, academic purposes, or as thought experiments, some esoteric languages have found practical applications in specific domains or as tools for teaching programming concepts in unconventional ways. However, their primary purpose is often more about exploring the limits of programming language design rather than practical utility.

Outlines
00:00
🌐 Exploring the Quirky World of Esoteric Programming Languages

The paragraph introduces esoteric programming languages (esolangs), which are unconventional and often considered 'cursed' due to their unusual syntax and structure. It mentions that these languages are designed to challenge human creativity and push the boundaries of the Turing machine. The paragraph sets the context for exploring five esoteric languages, starting with the famous Brain language.

05:01
🧠 Decoding Brain and Intercal: The Mind-Bending Esolangs

This paragraph dives into the details of the Brain esoteric language, explaining its basic components like the array, byte pointer, and manipulation mechanisms. It provides a step-by-step guide to writing a 'Hello World' program in Brain, highlighting the unique approach of using loops and incrementing values. The paragraph then introduces Intercal, one of the earliest esolangs created as a parody, and discusses its intricate printing algorithm, compiler quirks, and the need for politeness in the code.

10:02
🏜️ Exploring the Minimalist and Musical Realms: Whitespace and Velato

The paragraph explores two more esoteric languages: Whitespace and Velato. Whitespace is introduced as a language that ignores all characters except whitespace (spaces, tabs, and line feeds), showcasing its ability to create a working Turing machine with just three characters. The paragraph then delves into Velato, a unique language that compiles MIDI files instead of text-based source code, presenting the challenge of writing 'Hello World' using musical notation. The paragraph highlights the author's experience with Velato and includes a link to the musical score for 'Hello World' in Velato.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Esoteric Programming Languages
Esoteric programming languages, also known as esolangs, are non-standard languages that are designed more for fun or to challenge programmers' creativity rather than practical use. In the video, they are described as languages that are 'unrecognizable' in the way they are written and often considered 'cursed' due to their unconventional and complex nature. Examples like Brainfuck, INTERCAL, and Whitespace are explored, highlighting their unique and often bizarre syntax and operation.
💡Hello World Program
A 'Hello World' program is a simple computer program that outputs 'Hello, World' on the screen. It's often used as the first program that beginners write when learning a new programming language. In the video, the narrator writes 'Hello World' programs in various esoteric programming languages, demonstrating their peculiar syntax and logic.
💡Brainfuck
Brainfuck is an esoteric programming language known for its minimalistic design. It uses only eight simple commands and an instruction pointer. Despite its simplicity, Brainfuck can be challenging to understand due to its cryptic and unintuitive code structure. The video explains how to write a 'Hello World' program in Brainfuck, highlighting its array manipulation and looping capabilities.
💡INTERCAL
INTERCAL, short for 'Compiler Language With No Pronounceable Acronym,' is an esoteric programming language designed to parody other more conventional languages. It has bizarre syntax and peculiar compiler messages that require a certain level of politeness. In the video, INTERCAL is noted for its complex algorithms to print characters and the need to balance the use of the word 'please' in its code.
💡Whitespace
Whitespace is an esoteric programming language that only considers whitespace characters (spaces, tabs, and newlines) as valid syntax, ignoring all other characters. The video demonstrates a 'Hello World' program in Whitespace, emphasizing the challenge of writing code that is virtually invisible and relying solely on the arrangement of whitespace characters.
💡Code Golf
Code Golf is a programming activity where the objective is to solve a problem using the least number of keystrokes or bytes in the code. Esoteric programming languages often excel in code golf due to their concise syntax. The video mentions 'Stuck', a golfing language, which incredibly represents a 'Hello World' program with an empty file.
💡Stuck
Stuck is an esoteric language designed for code golf challenges. Its unique feature is that an empty source file in Stuck automatically translates to a 'Hello World' program, achieving the lowest possible code length (zero bytes). This language exemplifies the minimalistic and often humorous nature of esoteric programming languages.
💡VTO
VTO is an esoteric programming language where the source code is not text but MIDI files. It's specifically challenging for those without a musical background, as the code consists of musical notes and rhythms. The video describes the process of writing 'Hello World' in VTO and highlights the unusual intersection of music and programming.
💡Turing Machine
A Turing Machine is a theoretical computing machine invented by Alan Turing, which can simulate any algorithm's logic. In the context of the video, esoteric languages are mentioned as being Turing-complete, meaning they can perform any computation that a standard Turing Machine can, despite their unconventional syntax and methods.
💡ASCII
ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a character encoding standard used for electronic communication. In the video, ASCII values are used to represent characters in the 'Hello World' programs for languages like Brainfuck and Whitespace, where characters are often manipulated at the byte level using their ASCII numerical values.
Highlights

There are programming languages called esoteric programming languages or esolangs, which are unrecognizable in the way they are written and are often considered cursed.

The first esoteric language covered is Brain, which consists of an array of 30,000 bytes and a byte pointer that can move and manipulate the bytes.

Brain allows for looping, which can make the code more concise, by setting a loop counter and defining the loop logic within braces.

The second language is Intercal (Compiler Language With No Pronounceable Acronym), created as a parody in 1972, the same year as C programming language.

Intercal has a complex algorithm for printing characters, involving bit-reversing and subtraction, requiring the programmer to be polite with the 'please' keyword.

Whitespace is a language that ignores all characters except for spaces, tabs, and newlines, using them to create a working Turing machine.

Whitespace uses a stack to manage memory, pushing and outputting values with different combinations of spaces, tabs, and newlines.

Stuck is a code golfing language where an empty source file automatically translates to 'hello world', allowing for the smallest possible score of zero bytes.

The final language is Velato, which compiles MIDI files instead of text-based source code, requiring musical knowledge to write programs.

Writing 'hello world' in Velato involves using the Guido notation system to create a MIDI file that plays the corresponding musical notes.

Transcripts

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