If you could write computer programs using plain English, would you want to do it?

Answer 1

In most cases, I think no. English is too verbose and has too many interpretations for the same sentence. Ambiguity is generally not what you want in a computer program.

Answer 2

Interesting question.

I'm a software developer and also I write English well, for me it probably wouldn't be as beneficial as it would be for someone with little or no programming experience.

Each language has its own quirks, and being able to get around this by being able to just use English would definitely be handy, however. If some tool existed that could take some pseudocode of yours, analyze it, then pick an existing language that would be best-suited to the task, that would be even more handy.

Answer 3

Tempting — and AppleScript comes somewhat close-ish to this — but I'd still say no. What I'd really like is something akin to Apple's program Automator (described at the link below), but enhanced with the ability to design user interfaces and easily build the functionality behind them in a visual manner. I think if anyone could pull it off, it'd be Apple, considering they've already done it partway by simplifying AppleScript into a system of drag-and-drop workflows.

Answer 4

Yes

Answer 5

Definitely no, a tempting academic proposition but such AI parser is decades away.