Why are there things like c++ and python when computers have to be programmed. Why does there need to be so many languages when one could solve it?
In: 222
For the same reason there are sledgehammers, and framing hammers, and rock hammers, and steam hammers, and ball-peen hammers…
They’re all hammers, they’re all generally used to hit stuff, but are specialized to be better at specific tasks.
Each language has its own advantages and disadvantages. I’m not familiar enough to name them, but I have a passing familiarity with why. Basically some computer programmer looked at a language and said, “it would be so much easier if I could do all this with less code.” So they designed a programming language that did that. Unfortunately in order to do one thing better it doesn’t do other tasks as easily. So the other languages still stay relevant while the people doing the task the writer envisioned use the new language.
Each language has its own advantages and disadvantages. I’m not familiar enough to name them, but I have a passing familiarity with why. Basically some computer programmer looked at a language and said, “it would be so much easier if I could do all this with less code.” So they designed a programming language that did that. Unfortunately in order to do one thing better it doesn’t do other tasks as easily. So the other languages still stay relevant while the people doing the task the writer envisioned use the new language.
For the same reason there are sledgehammers, and framing hammers, and rock hammers, and steam hammers, and ball-peen hammers…
They’re all hammers, they’re all generally used to hit stuff, but are specialized to be better at specific tasks.
[removed]
Why are there so many vehicles, like motorcycles and cars and pickup trucks and ambulances and semis?
Why are there so many musical instruments, like guitars and drums and trumpets and cellos?
Just like all vehicles get you from point A to point B, and all musical instruments play music, all programming languages let you program computers. But they’re all good for different things.
Very practically speaking, here’s one of the biggest differences.
Low-level programming languages tell the computer exactly what to do in excruciating detail. It’s tedious to program in these languages because you have to detail every single step, but if you’re clever you can make a program that’s very fast and efficient.
High-level programming languages let you write much less code to tell the computer what to do. You can give very broad, general-purpose instructions and it will figure out the details. However, it’s probably not going to do it the most efficient way, it can be quite wasteful.
High-level languages are great when your goal is to write a program as quickly as possible because it’s only going to be used a few times or only by a few people and it doesn’t need to be fast. Low-level languages are great when your program is very important and needs to be as efficient as possible.
And there are lots of options in-between.
And that’s just one difference. Just like with vehicles and musical instruments, there are lots of differences between programming languages.
[removed]
Why does Baskin-Robbins carry 31 flavors of ice cream? People have preferences, and at the last time I checked, programmers are people. Some programmers specialize in specific languages, some specialize in specific subjects, like databases or caching or web front end, and know how to make those things work in a variety of languages. There’s also a great deal of overlap in most languages fundamental features. All languages feature variables and flow control, most support the concept of objects and functions, so translating a particular program from one language to another might not even be particularly complex, just a bit time consuming and fiddly.
If there was only one programming language ever written, then we would all be writing in assembler. Programs would likely be much more efficient, but have far fewer features, and cross-platform compatibility would be nearly impossible.
[removed]
It’s because groups of people want a tool they control / have input into the direction of. Not all languages are suitable for every task. If there is a gap in the market, someone will fill it by adapting a language or creating a new one.
Latest Answers