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Discussion on: Why I Switch From [Language_1] to [Language_2]

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dubyabrian profile image
W. Brian Gourlie

I work with Java and Javascript in my day job. They get the job done, but I don't find either to be enjoyable languages to work with.

I work with Elm and Rust in my free time. I have obscure side-projects. I contribute to obscure open source projects. I like to illustrate ways that these languages model and solve problems in elegant ways. I like to learn new things.

Shame on me I guess?

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tra profile image
Tariq Ali

I can understand learning new languages on the side, preferring certain languages because they are more enjoyable to work with, and even working on obscure side-projects. The point of the article here was to satirize the "language wars" (in particular, blog posts about switching from one language to another) and the technological fads that are embraced with alarming regularity.

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20zinnm profile image
Meyer Zinn

HN: "Rust vs Go"

Let the wars begin.

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dubyabrian profile image
W. Brian Gourlie

The point of the article here was to satirize the "language wars"

Fair enough.

I also resented the opinions that [Language_1] took. When I first used those languages, I thought those opinions were a fresh breath of air. I would constantly defend those opinions on Hacker News, because I thought that these opinions would promote good coding practices and would ulitmately lead to higher productivity. After 5 years of coding though, I realized that those opinions may have been slightly flawed.

If I take issue with anything, it's this, really. Old opinions aren't necessarily flawed, they're based on the circumstances at that time. I would have argued vehemently that C#/Java was far superior to pre-.NET Visual Basic fifteen years ago, and made a compelling case for it. I could argue just as vehemently that better alternatives to C#/Java exist today.

I think it's OK to have strong opinions and for opinions to change, so long as their rooted in your own work and research, and not just mindlessly parroting the opinions of others.

Sorry if I took this all too seriously. It's a geek thing I guess :)

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justgage profile image
Gage

For what it's worth, I think that [Minor_Technical_Flaws] is key here. Many times we switch because of some small annoyance. However when you compare JavaScript with Elm going from runtime exceptions to none is not minor in my opinion. Going from Python to Ruby to JavaScript is probably mostly minor differences and "improvements".