3 ms·

Languages are tools you use for their syntax, not for the work they do for you or the abstract paradigms they encourage.

• pjc50 12y ago
  Eh? Languages are tools you use for their ecosystem, and especially for what work you can have done for you and what kinds of correctness the language encourages. Syntax is something you have to put up with as part of constructing a program.
  • jokoon 12y ago
    languages can be cross platform. you can talk to 2 different person and they will understand you. syntax is a huge help, it's a shortcut to being able to understand what the program does. syntax is good.
• tmcb 12y ago
  There may be some duality on the use of the word "language". If it is used in the literal sense, I agree. In another case (i.e., if you were referring to languages and their execution environments), I beg to differ. For the end user of a programming environment, differences on syntax are mostly tangible in the aesthetic sense. Some languages are more readable or expressive, indeed, but, in the end, syntax has something to do with our perceptions on how beautifully the code lays out. Execution environments, on the other hand, are tailored for a class of problems, incorporating useful abstractions. Yes, I know it is not so evident in a world where we have general-purpose programming environments by the dozen; when we talk about domain-specific languages, this makes a lot of sense. They can only gain expressiveness if they can represent bigger abstractions with fewer words.
• ssalazar 12y ago
  You are probably a troll, but: > A language that doesn't affect the way you think about programming, is not worth knowing. - Alan Perlis
  • jokoon 12y ago
    I don't think abstract paradigms really fit into "the way you think about programming". Abstraction is software design, it doesn't belong to algorithms and how you make them work in an environment.