Artificial languages for instructing computers to do steps of computation in order to complete tasks. They allow programmers to communicate with computers.
279
votes
34answers
62k views
How do I create my own programming language and a compiler for it
I am thorough with programming and have come across languages including BASIC, FORTRAN, COBOL, LISP, LOGO, Java, C++, C, MATLAB, Mathematica, Python, Ruby, Perl, JavaScript, Assembly and so on. I ...
233
votes
4answers
91k views
What software programming languages were used by the Soviet Union's space program?
I got interested in the Soviet space program and was interested to discover that the software on the Buran spacecraft circa 1988 was written in Prolog.
Does anyone know what languages might have ...
187
votes
27answers
13k views
How do you know you're writing good code? [duplicate]
Serious question here. I love programming. I've been messing around with code since I was a kid. I never went the professional route, but I have coded several in-house apps for various employers, ...
134
votes
24answers
44k views
What are the drawbacks of Python? [closed]
Python seems all the rage these days, and not undeservingly - for it is truly a language with which one almost enjoys being given a new problem to solve. But, as a wise man once said (calling him a ...
121
votes
8answers
32k views
What does C++ do better than D?
I have recently been learning D and am starting to get some sort of familiarity with the language. I know what it offers, I don't yet know how to use everything, and I don't know much about D idioms ...
113
votes
27answers
8k views
Is constantly looking for code examples a sign of a bad developer?
I am a CS student with several years of experience in C and C++, and for the last few years I've been constantly working with Java/Objective C doing app development and now I have switched to web ...
97
votes
12answers
8k views
Why are statements in many programming languages terminated by semicolons?
Is there a reason that a semi-colon was chosen as a line terminator instead of a different symbol?
I want to know the history behind this decision, and hope the answers will lead to insights that may ...
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 ...
86
votes
110answers
41k views
Do people in non-English-speaking countries code in English? [closed]
I've heard it said (by coworkers) that everyone "codes in English" regardless of where they're from. I find that difficult to believe, however I wouldn't be surprised if, for most programming ...
85
votes
18answers
25k views
Is LISP still useful in today's world? Which version is most used?
I try to teach myself a new programming language in regular intervals of time. Recently, I've read how Lisp and its dialects are at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from languages like C/C++, ...
84
votes
22answers
39k views
Is there any reason to use C++ instead of C, Perl, Python, etc.?
As a Linux (server side) developer, I don't know where and why should I use C++.
When I'm going to performance, the first and last choice is C.
When "performance" isn't the main issue, programming ...
77
votes
14answers
14k views
What triggered the popularity of lambda functions in modern mainstream programming languages?
In the last few years anonymous functions (AKA lambda functions) have become a very popular language construct and almost every major / mainstream programming language has introduced them or is ...
76
votes
4answers
7k views
What operating systems are used in airplanes, and what programming languages are they developed in?
I was wondering if anyone knows what is the operating system used in commercial airplanes (say Boeing or Airbus).
Also, what is the (preferred) real-time programing language? I heard that Ada is used ...
75
votes
17answers
7k views
(Why) Should I learn a new programming language?
I'm quite proficient with Java, C/C++, JavaScript/jQuery and decently good at Objective-C. I'm quite productive with the languages and their corresponding frameworks too and do produce enterprise ...
70
votes
15answers
4k views
Why do memory-managed languages retain the `new` keyword? [closed]
The new keyword in languages like Java, Javascript, and C# creates a new instance of a class.
This syntax seems to have been inherited from C++, where new is used specifically to allocate a new ...
67
votes
15answers
21k views
Why aren't user-defined operators more common?
One feature I miss in from functional languages is the idea that operators are just functions, so adding a custom operator is often as simple as adding a function. Many procedural languages allow ...
65
votes
16answers
6k views
Do the young minds need to learn the pointer concepts?
Why did the C master Dennis Ritchie introduce pointers in C? And why did the other programming languages like VB.NET or Java or C# eliminate them? I have found some points in Google, and I want to ...
64
votes
12answers
4k views
Does programming in general become easier to read, write and understand as you gain experience?
I'm a beginner in programming and I've been reading books, studying, reading articles, and whatnot. I'm getting great results since I've started learning programming, and when I was a beginner I used ...
64
votes
6answers
4k views
What's the difference between Scala and Red Hat's Ceylon language?
Red Hat's Ceylon language has some interesting improvements over Java:
The overall vision: learn from Java's mistakes, keep the good, ditch the bad
The focus on readability and ease of learning/use
...
64
votes
6answers
6k views
Why was Python's popularity so sudden? [closed]
Python first appeared in 1991, but it was somewhat unknown until 2004, if the TIOBE rankings quantify anything meaningful.
What happened? What caused the interest in this 13 year old language to go ...
64
votes
7answers
27k views
Is this an assembly language?
In childhood I used to program on MK-61 soviet calculator.
It had 4 operating registers (X, Y, Z, T) and 15 storage registers. Program could have 105 steps.
As I recall it had commands like:
swap X ...
63
votes
19answers
4k views
Has any language become greatly popular for something other than its intended purpose?
Take this scenario:
A programmer creates a language to solve some problem.
He then releases this language to help others solve problems like it.
Another programmer discovers it's actually much ...
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.
...
59
votes
10answers
11k views
At what point can I say I've “learned” a language?
In my few years of programming, I've toyed with everything from Ruby to C++. I've done everything from just learning basic syntax (Ruby) to completing several major (for me) projects that stretched ...
56
votes
18answers
5k views
Why is verbosity bad for a programming language? [closed]
I have seen many people around complaining about verbosity in programming languages. I find that, within some bounds, the more verbose a programming language is, the better it is to understand. I ...
56
votes
12answers
15k views
How can I convince my boss that ANSI C is inadequate for our new project? [closed]
A few months ago, we started developing an app to control an in-house developed test equipment and record a set of measurements. It should have a simple UI, and would likely require threads due to the ...
55
votes
14answers
5k views
What can multiple threads do that a single thread cannot?
While threads can speed up execution of code, are they actually needed? Can every piece of code be done using a single thread or is there something that exists that can only be accomplished by using ...
54
votes
10answers
9k views
Why do people hesitate using Python 3?
Python 3 has been released in December 2008. A lot of time has passed since then but still today many developers hesitate using Python 3. Even popular frameworks like Django are not compatible with ...
52
votes
14answers
17k views
How can I really master a programming language?
I know that learning a language, you can simply buy a book, follow the examples, and whenever possible try the exercises. But what I'm really looking is how to master the language once you've learned ...
50
votes
11answers
5k views
A modern review of Java
I've been programming for a few years and I began in Java, and in my time I've found many different sources claiming Java to be an inferior language in some way or another. I'm well aware that each ...
48
votes
26answers
4k views
The most mind-bending programming language? [closed]
From a reasonably common programming language, which do you find to be the most mind-bending?
I have been listening to a lot of programming podcasts and taking some time to learn some new languages ...
46
votes
11answers
6k views
Why has C prevailed over Pascal?
My understanding is that in the 1980s, and perhaps in the 1990s too, Pascal and C were pretty much head-to-head as production languages.
Is the ultimate demise of Pascal only due to Borland's neglect ...
45
votes
12answers
4k views
Why are most browsers developed in C++
It seems like most of common web browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Safari) are developed using C++. My question is straightforward. Why they use mainly C++ rather than any other language?
Edit:
What ...
45
votes
15answers
5k views
I don't know C. And why should I learn it?
My first programming language was PHP (gasp). After that I started working with JavaScript. I've recently done work in C#.
I've never once looked at low or mid level languages like C.
The general ...
44
votes
6answers
3k views
How were the first compilers made?
I always wonder this, and perhaps I need a good history lesson on programming languages.
But....since most compilers nowadays are made in C......how were the very first compilers made (AKA before C) ...
43
votes
14answers
6k views
What makes C so popular in the age of OOP?
I code a lot in both C and C++, but did not expect C to be the second most popular language, slightly behind Java.
TIOBE Programming Community Index
I'm curious as to why, in this age of OOP, C is ...
43
votes
7answers
3k views
Why are semicolons and commas interchanged in for loops?
In many languages (a wide list, from C to JavaScript):
commas , separate arguments (e.g. func(a, b, c)), while
semicolons ; separate sequential instructions (e.g. instruction1; instruction2; ...
42
votes
21answers
4k views
Is it true that once you learn one language most of the rest come easy?
I was told by someone that I should start with Python and then, once I'm fluent in Python, the rest of the languages will be learned quickly. Is there any truth to this?
41
votes
40answers
4k views
Is anything in programming truly evil? [closed]
So, there are a bunch of questions appearing asking is X evil, is Y evil.
My view is that there are no language constructs, algorithms or whatever which are evil, just ones which are badly used. ...
41
votes
4answers
16k views
Why do programming languages, especially C, use curly braces and not square ones? [closed]
The definition of "C-Style language" can practically be simplified down to "uses curly braces ({})." Why do we use that particular character (and why not something more reasonable, like [], which ...
40
votes
8answers
2k views
Do object-oriented programming languages exist that are not class-based?
Are there any object-oriented programming languages that are not based on the class paradigm?
40
votes
9answers
3k views
What is the most orthogonal programming language?
I find myself repeatedly annoyed by having to teach freshmen about special language rules (like array-to-pointer decay) that have absolutely nothing to do with programming in itself. So I wondered:
...
39
votes
17answers
18k views
Is the C programming language still used?
I am a C# programmer, and most of my development is for websites along with a few Windows application. As far as C goes, I haven't used it in a long time, as there was no need to. It came to me as a ...
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 ...
37
votes
11answers
2k views
Keep a programming language backwards compatible vs. fixing its flaws
First, some context (stuff that most of you know anyway):
Every popular programming language has a clear evolution, most of the time marked by its version: you have Java 5, 6, 7 etc., PHP 5.1, 5.2, ...
36
votes
5answers
3k views
Why didn't == operator string value comparison make it to Java?
Every competent Java programmer knows that you need to use String.equals() to compare a string, rather than == because == checks for reference equality.
When I'm dealing with strings, most of the ...
36
votes
4answers
2k views
What are the biggest differences between F# and Scala?
F# and Scala are both functional programming langugages that don't force the developer to only use immutable datatypes. They both have support for objects, can use libraries written in other languages ...
36
votes
3answers
4k views
What's The Difference Between Imperative, Procedural and Structured Programming?
By researching around (books, Wikipedia, similar questions on SE, etc) I came to understand that Imperative programming is one of the major programming paradigms, where you describe a series of ...
35
votes
24answers
4k views
Why can't there be an “universal” programming language that serves all purposes? [closed]
why not combine the best features of the all existent programming languages and fit it in a universal programming language?
35
votes
12answers
3k views
What programming language generates fewest hard-to-find bugs? [closed]
What language, in your opinion, allows the average programmer to output features with the least amount of hard-to-find bugs? This is of course, a very broad question, and I'm interested in very broad ...
