LAIDBACK is a fictional programming language invented as a joke by John Unger Zussman. It appears in a humorous list of "lesser known languages", published in InfoWorld in 1982 and later posted to Usenet. This is the original text pertaining to LAIDBACK:

    LAIDBACK ... Historically, VALGOL is a  derivative  of  LAID-
BACK,  which  was  developed  at  the  (now defunct) Marin County
Center for T'ai Chi, Mellowness, and Computer Programming, as  an
alternative to the more intense atmosphere in nearby silicon val-
ley.
 
    The center was ideal for programmers who liked to soak in hot
tubs  while  they  worked.   Unfortunately, few programmers could
survive there for long, since the center outlawed  pizza  and  RC
Cola in favor of bean curd and Perrier.
 
    Many mourn the demise of LAIDBACK because of  its  reputation
as  a  gentle  and nonthreatening language. For example, LAIDBACK
responded to syntax errors with the message, SORRY MAN,  I  CAN'T
DEAL WITH THAT.

Its name seems to be a spoof of JOVIAL, although the description is not, and JOVIAL is a derivative of ALGOL rather than the reverse.

The other languages in this list are SIMPLE, SLOBOL, VALGOL, SARTRE, FIFTH, C-, LITHP and DOGO.

External links

• Usenet post