A great conversation in the supporter Discord/Matrix reminded me that it's about time to share this fantastic item by @heydon.
Anyway, yes HTML is a programming language and folks who argue with this statement in my comments will be muted, blocked, defederated, or all three.
@vkc @heydon Have to confess I was in the “no it isn’t” camp for a long time. Not out of a sense of superiority (or insecurity), but on the question of Turing completeness. But I can relate to the idea of a declarative DSL, and tip my hat to those who have mastered all of the complexity of HTML and CSS across the fragmented browser landscape.
Thank you for sharing this link.
@davew @heydon yeah the whole Turing completeness thing feels rational but there's plenty out there that lacks it. Like, I'd say someone who is writing regex is programming, but I don't think it's Turing complete?
The fact that we don't have this conversation about SQL or regex betrays the real reason for the distinction IMO, and it has more to do with a perception of who is doing the work instead of a real discussion of the merits of the language.