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opening a text document to show a .txt file through a browser link

Ben Leslie benno at sesgroup.net
Mon Dec 30 17:26:51 EST 2002 
On Mon, 30 Dec 2002, Jukka K. Korpela wrote:

> "Nico Schuyt" <nschuyt at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
> > My statement was "A HTML page is a set of command lines. When sent
> > to the interpreter, the browser, the result is shown on the
> > screen." That's not equivalent to "programming language"
> 
> Maybe not. But it's still nonsense. You haven't commented on these 
> facts:
> - there are no commands in HTML

Well I think <br /> is a command. <h1> </h1> are commands.

> - HTML is not line-structured.

Since when was a program defined as line structured? HTML is essentially 
a specific XML schema (well XHTML is), there are other things, such as 
Zope's DTML (I think that's what they call it.) which I don't
think anyone would argue about it being a programming language or not.

>From dictionary.com a program is:

6. # A set of coded instructions that enables a machine, 
especially a computer, to perform a desired sequence of operations.

I can't see how HTML doesn't fit into this category. HTML is definately
coded instructions, which is definately acted upon by a computer. I guess
the only question people would argue over is if these instructions perform
a desired sequence of operations. In my opinion a browser (interpreter) +
html file (source code) performs a desired sequence of operations (rendering
the web page).

Granted HTML is certainly a very high level language, and certainly isn't
turing complete, but I don't think turing complete has ever been a requirement
for a programming language.

To throw another idea into the mix, will people be equally upset if I claim
o do SQL programming?


I think this whole argument is purely about people's egos (I'm a programmer, 
don't associate me with an HTML markup person.)

Benno
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