Million languages yet some famous
closed account (ozUkoG1T)
Hey c++ forums,
I was just looking through list of programming languages that exist in our world and hell there were thousand of them just like we created thousands of ways to communicate with computer but the thing is only few are known programming languages in our world and currently used like : C, C++ , C# , Batch , Ruby , Pearl , Python , PHP , Java and more but why don't people use all of the languages instead than using a small fraction of languages what i am trying to simply say is there are computer languages which you can do something like programming quicker or something why only the famous ones to use. The thing is it is very astonishing that so many languages are created yet not single one was used.
I was just looking through list of programming languages that exist in our world and hell there were thousand of them just like we created thousands of ways to communicate with computer but the thing is only few are known programming languages in our world and currently used like : C, C++ , C# , Batch , Ruby , Pearl , Python , PHP , Java and more but why don't people use all of the languages instead than using a small fraction of languages what i am trying to simply say is there are computer languages which you can do something like programming quicker or something why only the famous ones to use. The thing is it is very astonishing that so many languages are created yet not single one was used.
Well, time is limited for most people, and in limited time you can only learn a limited amount of things. So a programmer can not go and learn all the languages, as there are many better things out there to learn.
Now, why not have every programmer learn a different fraction of the available languages? Well, if that happened, then no one would be able to cooperate with each other.
In reality, what most people do, is that they learn to use the tools that will benefit them most. That is to say, programmers often pick up an uncommon language simply because they had something they had to implement and they came across this language that made it easy. Another fact you failed to realize, is that sometimes a given language is simply bad. For example, would you ever program in LOLCODE?
Now, why not have every programmer learn a different fraction of the available languages? Well, if that happened, then no one would be able to cooperate with each other.
In reality, what most people do, is that they learn to use the tools that will benefit them most. That is to say, programmers often pick up an uncommon language simply because they had something they had to implement and they came across this language that made it easy. Another fact you failed to realize, is that sometimes a given language is simply bad. For example, would you ever program in LOLCODE?
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@blackberry I agree one hundred percent; time is limited. I think honestly if the days were just longer and/or we didn't need sleep, a lot more could get done.
I'd add that most of those other languages miss a few things:
- quality libraries
- quality tooling
- quality documentation
- quality compiler / runtime
- quality libraries
- quality tooling
- quality documentation
- quality compiler / runtime
- meeting a broadly felt need amongst a large section of the programming community in an intuitive, accessible way.
This is how spoken languages evolve; programming languages (I wish we'd called them programming notations back at the dawn of time), are similarly just a way to express concepts. If you can already express the concept you need in a way that is good enough, you won't switch programming language.
This is how spoken languages evolve; programming languages (I wish we'd called them programming notations back at the dawn of time), are similarly just a way to express concepts. If you can already express the concept you need in a way that is good enough, you won't switch programming language.
| The thing is it is very astonishing that so many languages are created yet not single one was used. |
The real question is "why do people keep making more and more languages?" And the answer is simple: because, although anything computable can be described in the nine languages you cited, only a fraction of that can be practically described in them. Perhaps you need a small scripting language to design a portable plug-in system for an application, or you'd like to express a solution in a language with a specific set of features so you can later make automatic program verification.
If a language that meets your requirements doesn't exist, your only alternative is to make one.
| This is how spoken languages evolve |
The mutations in programming languages are largely directed (by whoever implements them) and purposeful.
Fair enough. I correct my earlier statement to say "new words are born when the need for them exists", rather than how the language as a whole changes.
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