You imagine that programming is more objective than it actually is. Time will probably sort that out.
I appreciate your examples. I do think they would have been a better place to begin.
As for cognitive load, it is a thing. Converging on a single syntax will certainly reduce it, but as long as there is choice there is some. I do wonder to what extent you can have meaningful variation within the same syntax. Clearly it works for Perl and Perl users--I'm not trying to argue from first principles that it is impossible or stupid, only that it has a cost and that costs must have benefits or they are unnecessary. You apparently see some logical fallacy in that, but there isn't one. You just know the benefits and see the costs as reasonable. There's nothing wrong with your position on that, but you should have taken my words as an invitation to share what you know rather than blandly issue orders, a singularly unhelpful kind of discussion. An invitation was my intention, and I am sorry that I failed to convey it adequately.
I appreciate your examples. I do think they would have been a better place to begin.
As for cognitive load, it is a thing. Converging on a single syntax will certainly reduce it, but as long as there is choice there is some. I do wonder to what extent you can have meaningful variation within the same syntax. Clearly it works for Perl and Perl users--I'm not trying to argue from first principles that it is impossible or stupid, only that it has a cost and that costs must have benefits or they are unnecessary. You apparently see some logical fallacy in that, but there isn't one. You just know the benefits and see the costs as reasonable. There's nothing wrong with your position on that, but you should have taken my words as an invitation to share what you know rather than blandly issue orders, a singularly unhelpful kind of discussion. An invitation was my intention, and I am sorry that I failed to convey it adequately.