This will be a javascript-based implementation of the graphical notation for combinators described in To Dissect a Mockingbird by David Keenan. It is currently a work in progress.
The goal of this project is to make a cross-browser, simple implementation that works directly in the browser without having to download anything. This will be accomplished using Github Pages for hosting.
Graphical notation of lambda calculus is more accessible than regular mathematical notation, which can often be obtuse or confusing. Being able to visualize what happens when a function is applied often makes it clearer and easier to understand.
Several of the combinators described at Combinator Birds will be implemented.
(Hopefully,) a modified Why Bird will be provided that works with eager evaluation.
HTML, CSS, SVG, Javascript; planned: HTML5 Drag and Drop
There are several other graphical notations out there, in addition to other implementations of this one.
- Visual Lambda Calculus (pdf) presents four existing graphical notations and then proposes its own, based on colored bubbles. There is a graphical editor that you can download, similar to what I am trying to make here.
- Lambda Circuitry
- Lambda Diagrams is minimalistic.