Syntax Game

A syntax (game(is(when one(does slilly) syntax(just(for)the(sake of some (silly or even valid(reason))))))

This is not an attack on just Lisp.. but basically any time when you look at a line of source and say:

what the hell is this? a game?

In some cases it is even seriously undertaken as a game, for example PerlGolf.

Hmmm... I think SnuspLanguage would qualify. I think of Lemmings and Bubble Bobble (the video games) every time I see its syntax. Consider this multiplier... I can easily imagine hopping a couple baby dragons around fighting monsters, or directing a swarm of lemmings from a portal across a variety of spikes, boulders, and fiery pits.

                                                        /-\ wiki protection
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 start here -->$ ,@\>,@\< !/=========================?\ >>> !/=======?\ <<<@\/
                   |   |   \<< /?===\! > /?======\! >-/      \>>>+<<<-/     |
                   |   |       \-<+>/    \->+>+<</                          |
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         |\= ItoA ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++#
         \== AtoI ------------------------------------------------#

I'd render the above as

((A (syntax (game)) is (when (one does (stupid syntax) (just (for (the sake)) (of (some ((silly or even valid) reason)))))))

Except Lisp's syntax is not a game; it's, in fact, very precise. This page serves no further purpose than someone's knee-jerk reaction to all those parentheses, never asking himself, "Might there be a reason?", never bothering to research why these parentheses exist, and accepting the answer (even if he disagrees with it). Instead, he has to throw a temper tantrum about them, make an asshole of himself by throwing parens around random English words in a naked attempt to satirize Lisp's syntax, all the while pointing at his achievement, bellowing the question, "LOOK! LOOK! SEE HOW STUPID LISP LOOKS?!"

'(Well (look look look) at (how (silly (this person) above) (looks) with (his (knee jerk reaction))) - easily (offended by (a humorous tongue-in-cheek (page) !) (Looky looky !))

Pure bigotry.

Personally, I can concede that lisp's syntax (or lack of it) has a negative impact on my view of it. Admittedly, I find it better to have no syntax than a syntax I'd dislike, such as one that creates much syntactic noise. Any language would do well to eliminate as much semantic and syntactic noise as possible. For example, I'd rather write: (sentence '(a syntax game is when one does stupid syntax just for the sake of some silly or even valid reason)) and have it automatically parse into the proper phrase structure. If that is the goal, then the parens are syntactic noise. And if we did get to the point where we had (sentence '(...)), then even 'sentence' and the four required parens would be syntactic noise, but the degree to which they could be eliminated would be equal to the degree to which they can be automatically inferred from context - i.e. "as much nose as possible" has some inherent limits.