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What Makes a Programming Language Successful?
danielstoner writes "The article '13 reasons why Ruby, Python and the gang will push Java to die... of old age' makes an interesting analysis of the programming languages battling for a place in programmers' minds. What really makes a language popular? What really makes a language 'good'? What is success for a programming language? Can we say COBOL is a successful language? What about Ruby, Python, etc?"
I bet I can tell you alot about this person and I have only read the article. He is over 40 and has been programming for over 10 years. Possible associates degree, even more unlikely is it being higher. He has good information, but I deal with these people all the time, it is annoying, and now slashdot is putting his information up.
Look, technology changes everyday. With the change in technology comes a change in everything around it, including programming languages. In order to be a good programmer, you have to know, and understand, many languages. It is your job. If you are unable to accept that, than it is time to either retire and let somebody else take your 100,000 salary or simply quit.
The best language translators know more than two languages. I know that is a little bit of a different example, but it still proves the point I was trying to make. You need to be versatile in order to do your job. If all you do is program in COBOL, then talk to 1974, because they want their programming language back.
I don't even like Java all that much, but know it, and know it well. I just don't like it because I do web based work and it is easier to do it in PHP. Speaking of PHP, the syntax is as similar to c++ as it is Java.
Somebody wrote an article without doing their homework. Once a PHP script is done running, it is done, and you need to use additional resources, like AJAX or Javascript, in order to get something else to run afterwards, where-as C++, with clever coding, can continue to run, but that clever coding would be done within C++.
Let me guess, your company wants to move from Python/COBOL/The Stone Age to Java, and you wrote an article to show why Java sucks? Guess what, you have to learn Java like all of us did in order to be successful. I have a Bachelor's in Computer Science without taking a single Java course, and I had to teach myself Java for my job.
Your job as a computer programmer is to do what you are told in the language you are told to do it in. No wonder it is so hard for us younger people to get jobs programming. Mr. I don't want to learn a new language so I am going to cry about it, cry all you want, but in the end, you need to quit your job. I get frusterated with you old people now doing your job good enough and holding the positions us young people are looking for. We are hungry and looking for a job, you have been doing Python since computers were made from vaccuums and refuse to do anything but what you are doing. Leave you job, we could do your job better than you in a day.
Every college kid we get in the company I work for does more than double the work load of any of you old people, and you old people do nothing but complain. Step down or shut up.
(rant over)
The world is how you make it
You almost always have to have first achieved mass mediocrity. Some prime examples are McDonalds, MS Windows and last but far from least, Disco.
Java stands apart from the crowd in it's mediocrity. It's a nice language, but it is mediocre. By my estimates, it should go far! Way farther than C/C++ ever hoped.
If for no other reason, even crappy programmers who shouldn't be programming in the first place can put out "okay" code. Those who can't understand pointers, not to mention, understand that a reference is hardly more than a pointer. In otherwords, it can even make crappy programmers mediocre.
-- Many men would appreciate a woman's mind more if they could fondle it
It does nothing notably better than what already exists.
The community is fucking retarded.
It has no legitimate place; it's mostly adopted by people who want to be "different." (Not saying that's you, but seriously--look at all the Ruby code out there and find just one example of it being significantly better than code written in Python or, hell, even PHP.)
"You can either have software quality or you can have pointer arithmetic, but you cannot have both at the same time."
hahahahaha
Ok, I am a bad speller, Oh no! Oh, I didn't read the whole article! Of course not, the website went out of tresh-hold on me. Old man forgot to upgrade his account.
You have to fix what I mess up. I doubt that. You get paid 100k a year. Tell me right here right now that somebody else could not do your job? Be honest.
You are the reason why us younger people can't get jobs. I know for a fact that I can show you a thing or two.
Besides, you are the reason why my score is zero right now, and your score is already zero.
Should I even trust the post of a person that gets mad and gives people lower scores when they, in fact, have a score of zero.
Wow, seriously.
I can play the lets quote everybody game as well.
"fix what numerous young college kids mess up in our company, and engineer solutions so they don't screw it up in the future."
Ok, so you are a programmer? You actually made the code personally that messed up your company? Every person in the IT industry I know that gets paid over 100k doesn't touch code, they have others do it for them.
What languages do you know?
The other person that showed his credentials towards me, sure I listened to what he said. I listened very well. Yes, I did not give him a good response, but I will admit I listened. Your credentials is that you get paid alot of money.
I don't care how long you have been a manager or how long you have been programming, what languages do you know?
I tell you what Mr. 100k a a year, I will teach you Java. Right here, right now, I will play nice on slashdot and never post another bad thing if you let me teach you java.
How old am I, 25. I have had a programming job in our company for about 4 months, so I have about 4 months of experience.
Mr. 100k a year, do you know Java? I can teach it to you. I can teach you PHP, C++, but you have to be willing to learn.
Everything I posted repeats, because the message is clear, you have to be willing to learn in order to progress as a programmer.
Your skillset that you know and have right now will mean nothing in 18 months. Don't worry, that is the same with me as well. How are you going to prepare for the new technology coming out? Are you going to sit in your comfy chair and have the people under you worry about that? I know that is how it is done in most companies.
Just remember, the only reason why my score is zero is because somebody who totes a loud voice already had a score of zero.
Also, when you say "engineer solutions" that sounds like something where you make a plan and tell your employees to figure it out. So you are not really fixing the issue, you are telling others to fix the issue.
Oh yeah, and for somebody who makes 100k a year, why not sign up with slashdot? Are you afraid people might know who you are "Oh no, the humanity".
The world is how you make it