> It's esoteric sure, but it seems like his usage here refers to Esoteric Languages
Yes, that's the sense that I meant it in. Nock is an esoteric language just like those others on that website.
> he is maximizing practicality over mathematical elegance.
Nock is not practical. He is certainly not maximizing practicality by making a combinatory logic that can only increment integers and then recognizing and "accelerating" a particular implementation of decrement! Let's look at Nock:
?[a b] => 0
?a => 1
^[a b] => ^[a b]
^a => (a + 1)
=[a a] => 0
=[a b] => 1
=a => =a
/[1 a] => a
/[2 a b] => a
/[3 a b] => b
/[(a + a) b] => /[2 /[a b]]
/[(a + a + 1) b] => /[3 /[a b]]
/a => /a
*[a 0 b] => /[b a]
*[a 1 b] => b
*[a 2 b c d] => *[a 3 [0 1] 3 [1 c d]
[1 0] 3 [1 2 3] [1 0] 5 5 b]
*[a 3 b] => **[a b]
*[a 4 b] => ?*[a b]
*[a 5 b] => ^*[a b]
*[a 6 b] => =*[a b]
*[a [b c] d] => [*[a b c] *[a d]]
*a => *a
> because its a formal system in mathematical logic rather than a computational system
I really don't think this means anything. The lambda calculus is one of the paradigmatic computational systems, and SK combinators are closely related. And it turns out formal systems in mathematical logic are also related through the Curry-Howard-Lambek correspondence. So there's no meaningful distinction between these things.
> I think you've got me wrong on this—the idea that I'm "relying" on "quick skims" and the POV of an "impartial reader," would imply that I'm somehow using these things against you. I literally am an impartial reader trying to understand this, who spent a little time reading a resource you pointed me at.
No, what I'm saying is that, as an impartial reader, you are giving them too much of the benefit of the doubt, and also not spending a lot of time with it. There's nothing wrong with that, but it means you can get taken for a ride by people who are making a smokescreen.