Editing Flea++

{{era|ILB}}
{{quote|I know a lot of people will never know or care about whether we use even a semi-rigorous kind of syntax: but for those people who do, I think we have a chance to tell a story, to talk to them in a way nobody has ever talked to them before.|Jim Stewartson<ref>'''[[i love bees]]''', DVD</ref>}}
'''Flea++''', as it has been named by ''Halo'' fans in reference to [[Wikipedia:C++|C++]], is a programming and command line syntax seen in the ''[[I love bees|I Love Bees]]'' alternate reality game. It is used by the [[System Peril Distributed Reflex|SPDR]] and the [[Seeker]] (aka "Pious Flea"). The former's use of the language may imply that the language is used in other [[United Nations Space Command|UNSC]] constructs.

== Overview ==
The language includes several operators. An exclamation mark prefixed to a word indicates that the word is a command. An angle bracket (">") in the middle of a statement tends to denote a question or some uncertainty; two such brackets (">>") serve as a highly-context-sensitive operator denoting some association.<ref>[[Archive:Apocalypso Chat|Apocalypso Chat]]. <tt><Jim> the >> was more or less a catch-all for something highly associated with another thing</tt></ref>

Note that some commands were used exclusively by the Seeker. Such commands may not be used by the UNSC.

=== Keywords ===
The language has a large set of keywords, and makes use of various programming terms, which shall be explained here.

;act<ref name="fulltext">http://www.thebruce.net/ilovebees/Fulltext_text.asp</ref>
:Action.
;clean
:A contextual keyword that is typically used with <code>confidence</code> to indicate the success of a cleaning- or destruction-related operation.
;clear
:A contextual keyword that may indicate safety or the completion of a command (particularly a destructive one).
;clone
:Copy.
;confidence <value>
:A keyword appended to the end of a result. It is typically used to indicate the success or estimated success of an operation. <value> is an integer. Known values are 100 (success), 22 (false-positive), 49 (failure to halt process), and 34 (not found).
;crypt strong<ref name="phase1">http://ilb.extrasonic.com/index.php/Phase_1_Computer_Code</ref>
:A keyword appended to the end of certain commands. It may indicate the usage of strong encryption.
;crypt weak{{Ref/Reuse|phase1}}
:A keyword appended to the end of certain commands. It may indicate the usage of weak encryption.
;dmg
:An abbreviation for "damage".
;extern proc
:External process.
;fail
:Indicates that an operation or instruction has failed. It has also been used similarly to <code>false</code>, a keyword present in other programming languages.
;frgm
:Fragment.
;Host sector ______ ''or'' ______ sector
:A keyword referring to the ______ sector of the host AI's core, where _____ is "tertiary", "secondary", or "primary".
;Invntry 117649
:Seeker-class AI.
;Master command sector
:A keyword referring to the host AI.
;mem
:Memory.
;null
:<code>null</code> refers to the absence of data. In some cases (such as the null character), it refers to zero.
;process ("proc")
:A process is an instance of a running program. If, for example, two copies of the same program are running, then there is only one running program, but there are two running processes.
;recurse
:The verb for [[Wikipedia:Recursion (computer science)|recursion]].
;rogue proc
:An unrecognized and suspicious process. This term has also been seen in the [[Terminal (Halo 3)|Terminal]]s, when [[Mendicant Bias]] attempts to redirect the player.
;seq
:Sequence.
;si
:Silicon.{{Ref/Reuse|phase1}}
;success
:Indicates that an operation or instruction has completed. It has also been used similarly to <code>true</code>, a keyword present in other programming languages.
;Vnum
:An abbreviation for "version number".
;unk
:A keyword. It is the abbreviation of "unknown".

=== Commands and descriptors ===
;!analyze{{Ref/Reuse|phase1}}
:A context-sensitive analysis command.
;!attach ''<target>''
:Apparently attaches the user to a target specified by the ''<target>'' parameter.
;!bite ''<process>''
:Halts a running process.
;!compare
:compare, analyze
;!config ''<target>'':''<command>''{{Ref/Reuse|phase1}}
:Configures a target.
;!diag
:diagnose
;!handshk
:Attempts to establish contact with something.
;!init ''<name>'' proc
:Seeker command. Initializes a process. <name> is a parameter; it may specify the new process's name.
;!invntry
:Catalogs, lists, or classifies a set of objects.
;!invoke
:appeal to, usually used in regards to the master command sector (see below)
;!kindle{{Ref/Reuse|phase1}}
:Start/restart/activate.
;!label
:Assigns a name or identifier to a running process.
;!law
:Seeker command. Teaches the Seeker's ideology of seeking, beholding, and revealing the truth.
;!mat ''<unknown_1>'' ''<unknown_2>''
:Material. Identifies the type of material comprising ''<unknown_1>'' (which may be specified or implied). ''<unknown_2>'' is the result, often the <code>si</code> keyword.
;!probe ''<target>''
:Investigates an object specified with the ''<target>'' parameter.
;!reconst
:Runs a low-level repair process. The command is an abbreviation of the word "reconstruct".
;!seek
:Seeker command. Looks for something, or to attempts to perform a task.
;!splotch
:destroyed
;!transmit ''<what>''
:Seeker command. Transmits the data specified in the <what> parameter. This command appears to require initialization (via <code>!init</code>) before use.
;!triage
:emergency repair process
;!verify
:ensure accuracy or truth

In addition to regular commands, there are also command descriptors. Command descriptors occupy their own line, and take the form of a single word with a colon appended to it. Command descriptors describe the commands that follow them.

;behold:
:Seeker command. Refers to a discovery, realization, or sudden comprehension.
;grope:
:Refers to the act of searching blindly or uncertainly.<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/grope '''Dictionary.com:''' ''grope''] "to search blindly or uncertainly"</ref>
;msg:
:Denotes a message.
;net:
:Denotes a network command.
;reveal:
:Seeker command. Refers to the communication of some data to another intelligence.
;surg:
:Denotes repair or destroy commands. It is an apparent abbreviation of "surgery" or "surgical".

=== Code Examples ===
Here is a sample of Flea++ code, along with its fan-translated meaning. The code itself appears in [[:File:Seeker's Death.png|an SPDR message announcing the Seeker's destruction]]. The sans-serif lines are commands used by the Seeker; the serif lines are the SPDR's commands.

 <span style="font-family:sans-serif">grope:
 seeker > !attach Princess
 fail "msg: SPDR-5.14.3
 
 evade evade evade</span>
 
 !probe extern proc 1
 rogue proc
 
 !bite rogue proc 1 recurse
 clean !splotch confidence 100

And now, the line-by-line translation.
*<code>grope:</code> indicates that the next line is uncertain.
*The <code>></code> indicates that the statement is a question. So the statement means that the Seeker is asking if it can attach to the [[Sleeping Princess]].
*<code>fail</code> indicates that its request has been denied (here, <code>fail</code> acts as the Boolean <code>false</code> found in most human programming languages). The quotation mark indicates that a reason has been supplied; "<code>msg:</code>" indicates that the reason takes the form of a message. The text of that message is simply "SPDR-5.14.3".
*<code>evade evade evade</code> appears to be a Seeker command or keyword, and does not appear to have any effect.
*In this line, the SPDR is investigating (<code>!probe</code>) "external process 1". "External process 1" is the Seeker -- the Seeker was unable to attach to the Sleeping Princess, and is thus running from outside the Princess's systems.
*This next line is the result of the <code>!probe</code> command. "<code>rogue proc</code>" means that External Process 1, a.k.a. the Seeker, is a rogue, or malicious, process.
*In this line, the SPDR tries to terminate (<code>!bite</code>) the Seeker. The command's name ("bite") alludes to the SPDR's abbreviation, which resembles the word "spider". The keyword <code>recurse</code> likely indicates that the process used to "bite" the Seeker should run itself over and over until the Seeker is dead.
*This line is the result of the <code>!bite</code> command. It indicates that the process has managed to <code>clean</code> the system by killing (<code>!splotch</code>) the Seeker. It further states that the SPDR is 100% confident that the Seeker is gone.

Another message from the Seeker, [[:File:Seeker.png|found on the hacked ilovebees website]], contains this code:
<pre>!init transmit proc
!transmit truth

Princess friends>>seeker friends</pre>

In this code block, the Seeker starts a process for a transmission program, and then attempts to transmit the truth. (It can be assumed that <code>truth</code> is a keyword or variable.) Furthermore, the Seeker makes an association, stating that the Sleeping Princess's friends are the Seeker's friends.

== Sources ==
{{Ref/Sources}}

[[Category:Languages]]