Eli5: What is the difference between various programming languages? Dont they all do the same thing?
In: 33
Some of them are general languages that try to solve (almost) all programming problems, just with different approaches. But most programming languages are created to be particularly suitable for a specific type of problem.
Java, C# application dev on a proper operating system.
Python, quick scripting and tying lots of different existing software components together into larger system.
IEC 61131-3, real time logic on industrial controllers.
Cobol, business logic on prehistoric mainframes that works in ways nobody living remembers anymore.
Labview, for measurement, test and signal conditioning tasks where its beneficial to think of computation in similar ways to how analogue electronics works.
PHP webpage backends.
Matlab for numeric math intensive problems.
Mathematica for symbolic math problems.
Etc etc etc. Most languages are not meant for everything, they are meant for a particular type of problem that is poorly addressed in other languages.
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