Re:How I grew to hate every computer language
by Periodic on Monday August 17, 2009 @03:09PM
(#768819)
It feels to me that most* programming languages were created to solve a particular problem and use a particular style. If you are working in that problem domain then often that language will be best. If you are looking for a language to be your go-to for everything you're only going to end up hating them all.
Each programming language makes trade-offs. Ease of low-level control vs. ease of high-level constructs. Quick write-execute turn around vs. code optimization. Strong type guarantees vs. ease-of-use duck typing. There are hundreds of these tradeoffs and you just have to figure out where you want to be for your particular problem.
* I say most, because there are some really terrible languages out there that were largely created out of ignorance. Usually they're just scripting languages created for a specific application. Instead of using a tested solution, like extending Ruby, Perl, or Lua, they write their own which has most of the same features half-implemented.
Each programming language makes trade-offs. Ease of low-level control vs. ease of high-level constructs. Quick write-execute turn around vs. code optimization. Strong type guarantees vs. ease-of-use duck typing. There are hundreds of these tradeoffs and you just have to figure out where you want to be for your particular problem.
* I say most, because there are some really terrible languages out there that were largely created out of ignorance. Usually they're just scripting languages created for a specific application. Instead of using a tested solution, like extending Ruby, Perl, or Lua, they write their own which has most of the same features half-implemented.