Favorite programming language

G

gpatrick

This question was asked on another forum, but since there is more activity here I thought it would be interesting to see responses to favorite programming languages.

My favorites are classic Rexx and NetRexx.

Classic Rexx because it has the simplicity of Basic and the power of PL/1.

NetRexx because it can be used for scripting or application development in the Java environment.
 
In terms of syntax, I actually have a bit of a soft spot for Turbo Pascal (first compiled language I learned). Compared to C, the pointer stuff is easier to read, its impossible to shoot yourself in the foot with regards to = vs. ==, etc.

I'm playing with Objective C at the moment and liking it.
 
I used to think that everything has to be done in C because of the full control it gives to the programmer. Now I'm leaning towards using interpreted languages, perl python etc, wherever possible.
 
Being the hobby programmer I am, I actually like c# quite a bit. It handles all the "boring" tiny details like memory allocation, which lets me focus on concept, logical behavior and actually getting it to do what I want.
 
I like Python, for reasons that should be obvious.

But really, choice of programming language is secondary. Having a neat project & a cool team is so much more important (case in point: I am leaving my current Python job with a FreeBSD workstation for a PHP job where I'll get a Windows workstation).
 
The favorite language is always coupled to the problem at hand. When you have only a hammer, all problems look like a nail. So it is important, IMHO, to have a very large toolbox of languages and be careful not to prefer one over all the others for all problems.

So my toolbox contains (in order of proficiency) : C, C++, Modula2, Objective-C, Pascal, Fortran, Oberon2, Prolog, Forth, Assembler(ppc,m68k,mips,sparc,arm), Lisp, ...

Some languages I know good enough to know the pain*efford/use value will not be below the line where I would use them over those which are already in my toolbox, but I can use them when the rest of the codebase is already in that language.
 
I've been a working as a system administrator since 4 years and has extensively used shell scripting for automation tasks. As far as programming in concerned, being a Computer Science graduate I adore and praise the mother of all modern languages, C, which was my first programming language. These days, I'm on a break from the job to relearn system/kernel programming in C.
As a Slackware user I have a deep respect for FreeBSD philosophy and development. I wish to be a competent C programmer soon and serve in Slackware and FreeBSD community as a developer.

Regards.
 
I like C, C++, Shell and Python. I think I like C most, though I'm not sure (because it's quite a pain for some problems).

Of cause, real Programmers write Assembly language, but I'm just a compiler yet... err I think I confused something.
 
I used to think that Perl was the be-all end-all of programming languages, but now I have no interest in it, and looking at code I've written in Perl is painful.

I use Objective-C at work and like it.
 
I love assembly but do everything in C, which I also love. I want to learn Python and Lisp but never find uninterrupted time to work with it. I started on Haskell once.
 
I want to learn Python and Lisp but never find uninterrupted time to work with it
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The little schemer is probably one of my favorite programming books. It's certainly the most entertaining. IIRC the book also works for Lisp (then again, Lisp and Scheme differ little in the important key concepts).

I've never programmed anything truly useful in either Scheme or Lisp (yet...), but reading this book and learning the language definitely made me a better programmer. You should give it a try! (Teach yourself Scheme in fixnum days is also quite good, though not quite as entertaining. It's free though :))
 
The best programming language is the one that best suits the job at hand (and platform, and the programmer's ability). What one's favourite language is depends on a lot of things and there are hardly any wrong answers. Even C#, which is basically a half-arsed Java clone made just different enough that Microsoft can get away with it, can be a perfectly good answer if that's what you like. Personally I prefer C because it's closest to how my brain works, Haskell because it's just way cool or even Sinclair BASIC for nostalgic reasons ;)
 
fonz said:
The best programming language is the one that best suits the job at hand (and platform, and the programmer's ability). What one's favourite language is depends on a lot of things and there are hardly any wrong answers.
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A good point. It's worth adding that sticking to just one language can be restrictive, even if it seems comfortable. Using languages that fit the problem domain can give better results even if you aren't as familiar with them.
 
throAU said:
In terms of syntax, I actually have a bit of a soft spot for Turbo Pascal (first compiled language I learned). Compared to C, the pointer stuff is easier to read, its impossible to shoot yourself in the foot with regards to = vs. ==, etc.
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Moreover, there's a reason why most compiler building courses use Pascal as an example source language. Pascal is actually very well-designed, but somehow it appears to have died in the real world.
 
One reason of why I like and therefore, I plead for C instead of others programming languages:

By way of analogy, let's say that you were going to be learning Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese or Romanian. Do you think knowing Latin would be helpful? Just as Latin was the basis of all of those romance languages, knowing C will enable you to understand and appreciate an entire family of programming languages built upon the traditions of C. In fact, Perl, PHP, and Python are all written in C. A list of C based programming languages.
 
cpu82 said:
One reason of why I like and therefore, I plead for C instead of others programming languages:

By way of analogy, let's say that you were going to be learning Spanish, Italian, French, Portuguese or Romanian. Do you think knowing Latin would be helpful? Just as Latin was the basis of all of those romance languages, knowing C will enable you to understand and appreciate an entire family of programming languages built upon the traditions of C. In fact, Perl, PHP, and Python are all written in C. A list of C based programming languages.
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Except Algol is Latin, not C.
 
kpa said:
I used to think that everything has to be done in C because of the full control it gives to the programmer. Now I'm leaning towards using interpreted languages, perl python etc, wherever possible.
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The problem I have is, when I try to come up to speed in any other language, I keep hearing myself say, "That looks just like C." or "I do it the same way in C." so I quickly lose interest, especially when C interfaces with everything but other languages, not always as easy.

It took me a while to get around to learning javascript till I had to. Then I fell right into it because you can't do coding in a browser with C. I had to interface with PHP for one customer and it didn't take much for me to figure it out but there wasn't much to figure out either.

I guess that's why I'm more interested in Lisp because it doesn't look or act like C.
 
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