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Re:Why I Went From Python To Go (and not Node.js) (2012) by jsnk on Wednesday April 16, 2014 @03:35AM (#7596547)
Yes, we get it, but repeatedly stating "A language is a tool, not an identity." every thread about X programming language adds nothing to the conversation.

1. Learning a new programming language or a framework requires a significant effort for someone to use it comfortably. No matter how smart you are, there's the inevitable "grind" you have to go through to achieve the level of familiarity with a new language. It's only natural that people gravitate towards what they are familiar with and grow attached to what they know more.

2. Identifying oneself with some programming language is completely fine. Would you have any problem if Dennis Ritchie identified himself as a C programmer or Matz as a Ruby programmer?

Re:Why I Went From Python To Go (and not Node.js) (2012) by uniclaude on Wednesday April 16, 2014 @06:01AM (#7596884)
> repeatedly stating "A language is a tool, not an identity." every thread about X programming language adds nothing to the conversation.

You're being unnecessarily harsh, this type of comment might have educational value for newer developers. The fact that a programming language is a tool is not understood by all of us, and I personally admit that a very similar message I read on IRC opened my eyes when I was younger.

> Would you have any problem if Dennis Ritchie identified himself as a C programmer or Matz as a Ruby programmer?

Your own example ruins your whole argument. Matz is a programmer, he invented Ruby and wrote its interpreter in C. Calling him a C programmer or a Ruby programmer makes therefore very little sense. Same goes for Dennis Ritchie and the assembly he used to create C.

Re:Why I Went From Python To Go (and not Node.js) (2012) by bryanlarsen on Wednesday April 16, 2014 @06:55AM (#7597007)
To be pedantic: Ritchie did not write C in Assembly, he wrote it in C. Or more accurately, version N of C was written in version N-1 of C. Version 0 of C could be compiled by the B compiler.

Your point still stands though: you need to be fairly competent at assembly language to write a compiler that emits machine code.

Re:Why I Went From Python To Go (and not Node.js) (2012) by uniclaude on Thursday April 17, 2014 @01:01AM (#7602065)
Either you or the wikipedia article is wrong.

>"The origin of C is closely tied to the development of the Unix operating system, originally implemented in assembly language on a PDP-7 by Ritchie and Thompson, incorporating several ideas from colleagues."

It's also written that the B rewrite only came later.

Re:Why I Went From Python To Go (and not Node.js) (2012) by bryanlarsen on Thursday April 17, 2014 @09:11AM (#7603314)
Unix was originally written in assembly language.