Tuesday 31 December 2019

visual basic

Via Boing Boing, we are introducing to an intuitive programming language called Piet, based on the geometric compositions of Dutch abstract painter Mondrian (previously here and here), allowing for a rather esoteric if not immediate and accessible way of encoding and decoding the syntax and logic operators that underpin coding.
The inventor hosts an extensive gallery of classical applications and test-programmes at the link above, like this elegant and aesthetically congruent prime number probe written by Kyle Woodward. There’s also a nice suite of variations on “Hello World.” I’ll owe that there’s a certain level of unfamiliarity to work through as with any creative interface but I really cherish such projects as these—striking me like all the fussy, complex and niche musical instruments that composers saw a need for even when something off-the-shelf might have done the job.