Questions tagged [programming-languages]
Artificial languages for instructing computers to do steps of computation in order to complete tasks. They allow programmers to communicate with computers.
1,403
questions
15
votes
9
answers
42k
views
Is Prolog professionally useful?
I learned Prolog many years ago in University. During my professional life, I have never needed to use Prolog. Have I missed something special?
As far as I remember Prolog requires completely ...
- 261
31
votes
11
answers
9k
views
Would you use (a dialect of) LISP for a real-world application? Where and why? [closed]
LISP (and dialects such as Scheme, Common LISP and Clojure) haven't gained much industry support even though they are quite decent programming languages. (At the moment though it seems like they are ...
- 11.2k
5
votes
7
answers
508
views
Should a .NET, JavaScript and SQL Web App developer learn Perl?
I'm a front and backend .NET web developer (most solutions use MS SQL Server) and I won't be using any non-MS solutions for a while.
Will Perl be useful for situations that require scripting in an MS ...
- 6,123
6
votes
3
answers
179
views
Best projects that illustrate the strengths of the languages they are implemented in?
I'm looking for a who's who list of projects(open source) that really illustrate the strength of the languages they are written in. Ideally the project should make use of some features of a given ...
- 849
5
votes
3
answers
2k
views
Should one avoid or be careful with C99 features in C code?
Some seem to say that one should avoid C99 features in C code as compilers don't really support those features. C99 is a standard from 1999, shouldn't these features be quite widespread now?
Should ...
- 11.2k
4
votes
3
answers
458
views
Does the programming language or database you use have any effect on the selling of your site?
I was just wondering if the programming language or database you use has any effect on selling your site to another company? I mean is it easier to sell PHP site than other language? How about ...
user17983
19
votes
14
answers
5k
views
Is slower performance of programming languages, really, a bad thing? [closed]
Here's how I see it.
There's machine code and it's all that computers needs in order to run something. Computers don't care about programming languages. It doesn't matter to them whether the machine ...
11
votes
7
answers
2k
views
Arguments for Functional Programming [closed]
I've recently been learning F# for fun (I'm a VB.NET/C# dev), and I really like some of what it has to offer. Theoretically that is. But I'm having trouble thinking up of scenarios where I would ...
- 4,753
17
votes
5
answers
23k
views
How to determine if a programming language is verbose or terse? [closed]
Programming languages can often be described as verbose or terse.
From my understanding, a verbose language is easy to read and understand, while a terse language is concise and neat, but more ...
- 9,421
3
votes
6
answers
2k
views
Creating an expandable, cross-platform compatible program "core"
Basically the brief is relatively simple. We need to create a program core. An engine that will power all sorts of programs with a large number of distinct potential applications and deployments.
The ...
- 1,013
-1
votes
4
answers
825
views
When required to convert code from a language you don't know, how do you go about it? [closed]
Scenario:
Your boss tells you he needs a big chunk of code in language X converting into code Y. You know code Y but are only vaguely aware of X. You only have limited amount of time.
Do you try and ...
- 115
3
votes
1
answer
192
views
Can a domain specific language be used to representing the Open SRD
I am in the early stages of creating an open source C# library that would allow developers to drop in the open SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/) into an existing project. Abstracted it is a complex set of ...
- 365
3
votes
1
answer
736
views
Types of quotes for an HTML templating language
I'm developing a templating language, and now I'm trying to decide on what I should do with quotes. I'm thinking about having 3 different types of quotes which are all handled differently:
...
- 1,889
14
votes
11
answers
3k
views
Should programming languages be strict or loose? [closed]
In Python and JavaScript, semi-colons are optional.
In PHP, quotes around array-keys are optional ($_GET[key] vs $_GET['key']), although if you omit them it will first look for a constant by that ...
- 1,889
10
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Is there any reason lazy initialization couldn't be built into Java?
Since I'm working on a server with absolutely no non-persisted state for users, every User-related object we have is rolled out on every request.
Consequently I often find myself doing lazy ...
- 28.2k
9
votes
3
answers
9k
views
Was Java originally designed for a toaster?
I've heard this tossed around few times, but never really a source. The wiki page says it was designed for home appliances, but never really references a toaster. Anyone have a source?
user17715
12
votes
7
answers
6k
views
What should a C programmer know? [closed]
What are some concepts/techniques/language features that every decent C programmer should know/be aware of (exclude general software engineering and similar and focus only on C specific stuff). I ...
- 11.2k
3
votes
6
answers
21k
views
Database GUI Programming - .Net vs MS Access [closed]
MS Access gets pooped on a lot because A) many newbies use it B) people use it as a database backend which is not a good idea.
I'd like to see some reasonable discussion on why you might choose VB....
- 807
147
votes
15
answers
31k
views
Why did memory-managed languages like Java, Javascript, and C# retain the `new` keyword?
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 ...
28
votes
13
answers
1k
views
Why does there seem to be a lot of fear in choosing the "wrong" language to learn? [closed]
Perhaps its just me, but as a current CS student I have already come across many questions on this site and elsewhere about not just "Which language should I use for x?" but also "Does anyone still ...
Shewbox
5
votes
9
answers
1k
views
What do you call a developer specializing exclusively in microsoft programming languages like T-SQL and C#? [closed]
What would you call this type of specialty? Is "Microsoft Developer" misleading?
Brian Smith
5
votes
4
answers
8k
views
What are the basic skills a beginner JavaScript programmer should have? [closed]
In NYC, we are working on creating a collaborative community programming environment and trying to segment out software engineers into differing buckets. At present, we are trying to define:
...
- 51
14
votes
6
answers
8k
views
Is Flash really superior to Java applets? [closed]
I'm still a student, without much real life experience in programming. I've never written anything bigger than ~5k lines of code. I've written code in both Flash and Java, and I just can't understand ...
- 539
17
votes
9
answers
11k
views
Career advice: PhD in theory of programming languages [closed]
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, ...
- 255
12
votes
12
answers
26k
views
Assembly as a First Programming Language? [closed]
How good of an idea do you think it would be to teach people Assembly (some variant) as a first programming language? It would take a lot more effort than learning for instance Java or Python, but one ...
-1
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Programming Language? - To create a application (eLearning course) that will work on PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Touch etc?
Currently at work I'm helping put together and create eLearning courses within Flash. Our senior programmers have knowledge of how to do this, Although - I would like to know how you could go from ...
- 343
5
votes
6
answers
6k
views
When would you use multiple languages in one project? [closed]
When would you consider incorporating another language into your project? Some domains are inherently multi-language ( Database interaction, interactive web client side development), but others could ...
- 2,587
4
votes
6
answers
570
views
Why are interfaces not casteable/ducktypeable?
One thing that always irked me (in C#) was that there's a hard dependency between an interface/abstract class and the implementing class and assembly. Meaning that that if two different assemblies ...
- 11.1k
12
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Is Language-Oriented Programming practical?
I read this article on Language-Oriented Programming. He points out some weaknesses in the modern procedural/OOP approaches to programming, and suggests a new programming paradigm that will solve them
...
- 15.6k
7
votes
9
answers
817
views
Is there a programming language with not a tree but tags idea behind OOP?
I'm thinking about tree structures, and I feel that I don't like them. It's like when you have a shop, then you try to put all products to tree-like catalog, and then you need to place one product to ...
user16131
6
votes
5
answers
343
views
Is it relevant to warn about truncating real constants to 32 bits?
I'm toying around with LLVM and looking at what it would take to make yet another strongly-typed language, and now that I'm around the syntax, I've noticed that it seems to be a pet peeve of strongly ...
- 2,586
2
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Best way to learn Java if you already have an OOP background, like ActionScript 3? [closed]
I'm looking to learn Java, but I don't want to get a book that is going to tell me what an object is, how OOP works, etc. I know this from my existing ActionScript 3 work.
One idea is to look at all ...
- 193
39
votes
8
answers
74k
views
Learning Multiple Languages Simultaneously [closed]
When learning new languages, is it better to commit yourself to one language 100% and wait until you've "mastered" it to move on to another, or to work on learning different languages at the same time?...
- 3,146
23
votes
11
answers
8k
views
If we can do functional programming with Python, do we need a specific functional programming language? [closed]
Using generators and lambda, we can do functional programming with Python. You can also achieve the same thing with Ruby.
So the question is: why do we need specific functional programming languages ...
- 3,885
20
votes
10
answers
988
views
Are specific types still necessary?
One thing that occurred to me the other day, are specific types still necessary or a legacy that is holding us back. What I mean is: do we really need short, int, long, bigint etc etc.
I understand ...
- 11.1k
2
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Python vs. Java for embedded wireless module [closed]
We are developing a product at work which interfaces with basic I/O and sends data to a webserver over a GPRS connection.
What i need to know before we commit to a product, is which language is more ...
- 1,443
2
votes
1
answer
246
views
How can I prototype a very abstract theoretical framework?
I've had an idea for a semantic model of computing that's theoretically sound but is also quite unusual. I'd like to quickly prototype a system to prove that it can work in practice. Most of my work ...
- 20.5k
104
votes
14
answers
72k
views
Why are most browsers developed in C++ [closed]
It seems like most of common web browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Safari) are developed using C++. Whys is that so?
5
votes
6
answers
379
views
Does my JavaScript look big in this?
As programmers, you have certain curtains to hide behind with your code. With PHP all of your code is server side preprocessed, so this never see's the light of day as far as the user is concerned. If ...
- 1,443
3
votes
1
answer
285
views
feature request in language design?
How do language designers decide when a feature should go in a library as an extension or when it needs to have support from the core language?
17
votes
12
answers
1k
views
Is it OK to live without knowing how the program you created works?
I mean, there are really useful libs that can solve problems when you are stuck and do not know how to solve this or that with your knowledge of programming language you use... For example, Boost for ...
- 541
11
votes
4
answers
2k
views
How are undocumented functions discovered? [closed]
I've always wondered how do you find undocumented / private API ?
Example the Apple undocumented / private API, Play Station, Windows Phone 7, Win32 Kernel, Windows API, hidden callback, etc...
...
- 213
8
votes
1
answer
247
views
Learning a new language using broken unit tests [closed]
I was listening to a dot net rocks the other day where they mentioned, almost in passing, a really intriguing tool for learning new languages -- I think they were specifically talking about F#.
It's ...
- 1,570
24
votes
11
answers
17k
views
How necessary is it to learn JavaScript before jQuery? [closed]
In my opinion, when I looked at JavaScript, it looked like not my cup of tea. When I came across jQuery, I loved it. I sat and watched Nettuts+ 15 days of jQuery screencasts, 1 year later and now I'm ...
- 1,443
2
votes
5
answers
307
views
learn the programming language for computing functions about integers
I know something about Pascal, Mathematica and Matlab, but I dont have any idea about C,C++,C# languages.
I want to learn one of the languages that they they are fast and exact to compute some ...
- 29
19
votes
14
answers
1k
views
Is good code impossible in modern software development? [closed]
It seems that even that developer tools has become more solid and robust, writing good code has become a challenge. Even that tools are more powerful, quality of code haven’t got better. I come up ...
- 11k
141
votes
8
answers
118k
views
What is a "side effect?"
I haven’t clearly understood the concept of side effect.
What is side effect in programming?
Is it programming language dependent?
Is there such a thing as external and internal side effects?
Please ...
- 11k
16
votes
2
answers
3k
views
How should compilers report errors and warnings?
I don't plan on writing a compiler in the near future; still, I'm quite interested with compiler technologies, and how this stuff could be made better.
Starting with compiled languages, most ...
- 2,586
20
votes
24
answers
4k
views
Interesting or unique types in programming languages? [closed]
We have all seen integer, floating point, string, and the occasional decimal type. What are some of the most strange or unique or useful types you have encountered, useful or not?
23
votes
9
answers
48k
views
How is C different from C++?
Many people have said that C++ is a completely different language than C, but Bjarne himself has said that C++ is a language that is extended from C hence that is where the ++ comes from. So why does ...
- 3,885