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Discussion on: Why programming languages are slow

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aatmaj profile image
Aatmaj

I always wondered about the syntax factor. If somehow we could be able to make C syntax simpler and easier to understand, that would be nothing like it! I think the Julia programming language is attempting the same. What are your thoughts upon his?

Also one more factor while choosing the language I feel important is the legacy of the language. Sometimes some programmers choose one language over the other simply because they are more acquainted with one, or compatibility issues.

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grigoryvp profile image
Grigory Petrov

In the original lectures I elaborate on the "syntax" topic, unwinding it as "syntax that does not require developer to care about memory". In the end, "high level" and "low level" is how much you, as a software developer, need to "care" about memory. C and C++, abviously, requires such care. Go and Rust, on the other hand, require a DIFFERENT type of care. Still, they require it. While Python, Ruby, PHP, JS etc is "infinite clay" - you can operate on arrays, dicts and other data without concerning how they will layout in memory. Same for C# and Java.

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aatmaj profile image
Aatmaj

So true.

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kopylov_vlad profile image
Vladislav Kopylov

Hi. Thank you for your question.

The article is only about language design and I accept the fact that there are a lot of reasons to choose a language. One more reason is a job factor. I had to learn PHP because many years ago I knew one company that hires junior developers.

Unfortunately I'm not familia with Julia, but thanks for your reference I will read more about it.