According to the Encyclopedia of Computer Languages, people have created more than 8500 programming languages over the years.
Most of the languages have never become mainstream (read Ghost in the Machine for a list of 12 languages that couldn’t take off - I don’t agree with the Haskell part as I think that it has enormous appeal and potential especially for concurrent programming)
Now for the bigger question that I’m asked from time to time:
Q: Why are there so many programming languages?
After deep thoughts, I can now answer:
A: Because a programming language is just a medium of expression and different people express themselves differently…
A corollary might be (but I think to think more about that):
Different people express themselves in different programming languages. Students, being people (after all…), also therefore express themselves in different programming languages. Hence, programming should be taught in a programming language-independent manner in order to cater for all students…
(Edited on 13/7/2007 at 23:17 MUT)
(I guess most of you have recognized the Tower of Babel by Bruegel)
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July 13th, 2007 at 09:26
lol, i see brainfuck there! i remember last year i tried to learn that language, just to know it, ohh my god, i thought that the people who made that language were sadist and perverts or wanted to make fun of ppl. i never got to understand the hello world quick enough, so i gave up.
Am sad for delphi to be in this list, before i used to like that, (in the days i used to do pascal).
I didn’t believe coldfusion would be in this! thank god i didn’t learn that, even if the name seemt cool.
+$3|v3n
July 13th, 2007 at 14:31
Q: Why are there so many programming languages?
It could be because each programming language has its limitations and people developed new ones to address these limitations. Of course since a new programming language is just another language, it, too, just like the others has/will have its own limitations, which open doors for…another new programming language.
July 13th, 2007 at 15:30
Each language solves a particular type of problem. The more choices we have, the better.
July 14th, 2007 at 21:32
i would say, everyone wants to give the computer world a personal touch of his, and not every time there are ways that exists to make that touch possible, so comes in new languages to help those artists to add their touch to the world.
July 16th, 2007 at 09:51
Hi Avinash
I couldn’t log to my personal email but thought you’d probably be following this debate
http://ask.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/07/15/133237
July 16th, 2007 at 22:10
If I’m not mistaken Avinash, that Tower of Babel painting also graces the cover of Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham
July 17th, 2007 at 08:02
Exactly!
“Les grands esprits se rencontrent”
July 20th, 2007 at 17:17
There are many programming languages because there are a lot of developers.
The tower of Babel is also used in a software context in by Fred Brooks, “Why Did the
Tower of Babel Fall?”
October 5th, 2007 at 03:54
The tower fell due to the global economy