The shortest answer is that the "hard part" of software development is not syntax, but logic and architecture. These parts get harder the more complex the app b

The shortest answer is that the "hard part" of software development is not syntax, but logic and architecture. These parts get harder the more complex the app becomes. Hundreds of years of human history have shown that text is the easiest and most readable/writable way to represent complex logic and algorithms, so this leads to the need for text-based languages and text editing tools for working with most general purpose software of any non-trivial complexity.