Questions involving the design and structure of programming languages.
37
votes
15answers
2k views
How would you design a programming language? [closed]
If you were to design a programming language, how would you do it? What features would you put in? What would you leave out? Statically or dynamically typed? Strongly or weakly typed? Compiled or ...
43
votes
12answers
4k views
Did the developers of Java consciously abandon RAII?
As a long-time C# programmer, I have recently come to learn more about the advantages of Resource Acquisition Is Initialization (RAII). In particular, I have discovered that the C# idiom:
using (var ...
27
votes
10answers
1k views
What mistakes do language writers often make which doom their language? [closed]
Are there common mistakes that language creators make that prevent or slow the adoption of their language? An example (though perhaps not a good one): they focus more on language semantics than tool ...
41
votes
10answers
2k views
I've been told that Exceptions should only be used in exceptional cases. How do I know if my case is exceptional?
My specific case here is that the user can pass in a string into the application, the application parses it and assigns it to structured objects. Sometimes the user may type in something invalid. ...
20
votes
11answers
1k views
Is there a language out there in which parameters are placed inside method name?
in JavaScript:
function getTopCustomersOfTheYear(howManyCustomers, whichYear) {
// Some code here.
}
getTopCustomersOfTheYear(50, 2010);
in C#:
public List<Customer> ...
10
votes
2answers
1k views
In hindsight, is basing XAML on XML a mistake or a good approach?
XAML is essentially a subset of XML. One of the main benefits of basing XAML on XML is said to be that it can be parsed with existing tools. And it can, to a large degree, although the (syntactically ...
7
votes
10answers
740 views
A better way of doing Regex? [duplicate]
I really dislike regular expressions, each time I come back to it I seem to have to relearn it. It's also incredibly hard to maintain, modify and at a glance understand what it is doing.
Has anyone ...
5
votes
3answers
340 views
Is structural typing in a hierarchical model necessary?
This is part of a series of questions which focuses on a project called the Abstraction Project, which aims to abstract the concepts used in language design in the form of a framework.
Another ...
10
votes
2answers
464 views
How easy should a language development framework be to use?
This is part of a series of questions which focuses on a project called the Abstraction Project, which aims to abstract the concepts used in language design in the form of a framework.
Another ...
2
votes
3answers
529 views
Is it easier to write robust code in compiled, strictly-typed languages? [closed]
I'd like to read the opinion of experts on whether compiled, strictly-typed languages help programmers write robust code easier, having their backs, checking for type mismatches, and in general, ...
88
votes
77answers
13k views
What features would you like to have in PHP? [closed]
Since it's the holiday season now and everybody's making wishes, I wonder - which language features you would wish PHP would have added? I am interested in some practical suggestions/wishes for the ...
61
votes
8answers
13k views
How were some language communities (eg, Ruby and Python) able to prevent fragmentation while others (eg, Lisp or ML) were not?
The term "Lisp" (or "Lisp-like") is an umbrella for lots of different languages, such as Common Lisp, Scheme, and Arc. There is similar fragmentation in other language communities, like in ML.
...
33
votes
26answers
2k views
What do you wish language designers paid attention to? [closed]
The purpose of this question is not to assemble a laundry list of programming language features that you can't live without, or wish was in your main language of choice. The purpose of this question ...
38
votes
14answers
4k views
Are null references really a bad thing?
I've heard it said that the inclusion of null references in programming languages is the "billion dollar mistake". But why? Sure, they can cause NullReferenceExceptions, but so what? Any element of ...
14
votes
10answers
2k views
Career advice: PhD in theory of programming languages
I'm very interested in the theories of programming languages and going to apply a PhD in this topic, but I want to know more about the career after the graduate education. besides being a professor, ...
4
votes
5answers
639 views
Scalability and Programming languages
What makes a language scalable ?
I believe scalability is more about system design. It sounds really odd to me, to say that one language is more scalable than the another.
1
vote
5answers
444 views
'Other' Features in a programming language
Online (i cant remember where) i saw someone mention he wishes programming language has more built in features for tools like documentation and source control.
Now i dont understand what needs to be ...
7
votes
6answers
595 views
Please explain the benefit(s) of using an XML-based syntax (e.g. XAML) instead of normal source code (e.g. WinForms)?
First off, please note that this question is not about WPF vs. WinForms.
What are the highest-ranking benefits that led Microsoft to invent XAML in favour of the “old” approach of generating ...
33
votes
18answers
2k views
Has whitespace in identifiers ever been idiomatic?
C# style suggests using CamelCase in identifiers to delimit words. Lisp tradition suggests using-dashes-instead.
Has there ever existed a programming language where using spaces in identifiers was ...
-2
votes
2answers
703 views
Are there any languages that have both high- and low-level facilities?
Are there any? If not, is it feasible to create one? Why or why not?
In theory it would be very helpful to have a programming language that has both shell and regular programming language ...
