vPeople write
algorithms, but some other agent will execute them … so they must be expressed
in some language
vEnglish and other
natural languages are poor choices
;Ambiguous --
multiple interpretations of an utterance
; “Her lasagna is not very hot”
;Imprecise -- exact
meanings have not been assigned to all words and sentences: all deliberate speed
;Recipes try: stir is not a synonym for fold or beat
vProgramming
languages are formal notations specifically designed for specifying
algorithms
vVisual Basic is the
language we’ll use