[saltyfamiliar]

One thing I've noticed always seems to amaze non-programmers as they're taking their first foray into using computers in more advanced ways (programming, scripting, even just using a command-line) is how little room there is for typos. I've frequently heard things like, "if you forget a single semicolon the whole thing doesn't work!" To me, it just seems obvious that if you make a mistake, the computer won't know what to do with your code. But maybe it doesn't really have to be that way.

So my guess is that a programming language created by a non-programmer would be extremely tolerant to typos. References to non-existent variables and functions would resolve to the nearest existing options. Semicolons, commas, parentheses and brackets would be strictly optional. This seems to be closer to the way people naturally use language.

[ryankrage77]

Clearer error messages would go a long way too. Python is often considered beginner friendly, but it usually can't even tell you which line a syntax error is on.