Editing Esoteric programming language (section)

{{Short description|Experimental or artistic programming language}}
An '''esoteric programming language''' (sometimes shortened to '''esolang''') is a [[programming language]] designed to test the boundaries of computer programming language design, as a [[proof of concept]], as [[software art]], as a hacking interface to another language (particularly [[functional programming]] or [[procedural programming]] languages), or as a [[joke]]. The use of the word ''[[wiktionary:esoteric|esoteric]]'' distinguishes them from languages that working developers use to write software. The creators of most esolangs do not intend them to be used for mainstream programming, although some esoteric features, such as [[Spatial–temporal reasoning|visuospatial]] [[syntax (programming languages)|syntax]],<ref>{{cite conference |last1=McLean |first1=A. |last2=Griffiths |first2=D. |last3=Collins |first3=N. |last4=Wiggins |first4=G. |date=2010 |title=Visualisation of Live Code |conference=Electronic Visualisation and the Arts 2010 |location=London |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228575469}}</ref> have inspired practical applications in the arts. Such languages are often popular among [[Hacker culture|hackers]] and hobbyists.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

Usability is rarely a goal for designers of esoteric programming languages; often their design leads to quite the opposite. Their usual aim is to remove or replace conventional language features while still maintaining a language that is [[Turing completeness|Turing-complete]], or even one for which the [[Computability theory|computational class]] is unknown.