What makes programming languages different

Once you look at these factors, you can pick a programming language that helps you achieve your goal. Or, if you wish to start your career in mobile applications, you should check out Swift for iOS applications and Java or Kotlin for Android applications.

To sum it up, the main reason why there are many programming languages out there is that different problems require different tools to solve them. Each programming language has certain features and characteristics that make it suitable for specific tasks. Just like how doctor's jobs are divided into various specialties, and each solves complex problems and uses the right tools for their job, the same is true for programming. I hope this article has answered your questions and given you a better idea of what programming language to choose for your career as a programmer.

If you want to learn more, you can get my free e-book to prepare for technical interviews or start Learning Full-Stack JavaScript. Hey there! I love to code and to help other people. If you read this far, tweet to the author to show them you care. Tweet a thanks. Learn to code for free. Get started. Forum Donate. Vasyl Lagutin. The Evolution of Technology and Programming Languages The first and perhaps the biggest reason why we have so many programming languages is that technology is always evolving.

Here are some notable examples of programming languages that developed from specific needs: C — Dennis Ritchie and Bell Labs created C in to overcome older languages' problems. They first used it to run the Unix operating system. Today, it can run on almost all kinds of software and hardware. The first reason was to upgrade the features of the C programming language, and the second reason was to make it accessible for everyone to use in all fields.

Later he improved the language and released it to the public, and developers started using it heavily for web development. As mentioned, JavaScript is a language used to write code that runs in web browsers. As such, it has a wide range of applications and is especially useful for making web pages interactive and responsive.

PHP is another easy-to-learn coding language that is both free and open source. PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor is a high-level, object-oriented programming language. As such, it is often used together with JavaScript. There are many uses for PHP, although mostly for website development. You can use it to manage dynamic content and databases on a website, for example. The latter is particularly relevant, as it integrates well with database languages such as MySQL. As with many coding languages, the best way to learn is to get as much practice as you can with the language.

There are many resources available that will take you through the basics, such as how the language works and what the basic syntax looks like. In fact, most developers need to have at least a basic knowledge of the language. Structured Query Language SQL, sometimes called Sequel , is a domain-specific language designed for managing data held in databases. SQL is mainly used to communicate with databases. R is a low-level, functional programming language and software environment, mainly aimed at statistical computing and graphical techniques.

There is a vast library of tools that come with the language, including machine learning algorithms and other useful tools. Statisticians and data miners often use R to develop things like statistical software and data analysis packages. Although general-purpose languages can be used in various ways, more niche and specific tasks often require a more specialised language. If you want to get into coding and programming, there are many opportunities to do so.

Category: FutureLearn Local , Learning. Category: Current Issues , General. Category: Digital Skills , Learning , What is. We offer a diverse selection of courses from leading universities and cultural institutions from around the world. These are delivered one step at a time, and are accessible on mobile, tablet and desktop, so you can fit learning around your life. You can unlock new opportunities with unlimited access to hundreds of online short courses for a year by subscribing to our Unlimited package.

Build your knowledge with top universities and organisations. Learn more about how FutureLearn is transforming access to education.

Share this post. FutureLearn Data Visualisation with Python. CloudSwyft Global Systems, Inc. We need to make things simpler my friends, focus on the problem to solve, sometimes I thing the world is becoming crazy. Wtf people! I like your reply my friend. Life is limited. I have been programming for over 50 years. Fortran was OK for study and math problems but lacked re-entrancy. Cobol was the business language of choice at the time but was very batch oriented.

Assembler was good when mini and micro computers were slow but lacked portability. UCSD Pascal was the first 2 stage compiler but lacked speed at the time. ADA was a wild government fantasy that had some interesting features but was very complex. SQL, while having general purpose features, was justified as a separate language because of relational database syntax and semantics.

For the last 20 years I have used Java for apps and JavaScript for browser and other scripting. I think we have reached the point of diminishing returns on new programming languages.

Many have syntactical sugar that makes them attractive for certain applications but the lack of the vast libraries, lack of portability in some cases, and the cost of re-education and compatibility problems make them costly boondoggles. I have often heard the advice: choose your language based on your application. I think this is poor advice because applications constantly change and may develop new requirements over time that are beyond the capability of the language or its libraries.

It would be better to choose your language based on lifetime cost of its ecosystem. How many times do we have to rewrite quicksort? The proliferation of languages represents a huge cost in software development and maintenance. Longevity and stability are much more important than the latest language feature. Computer science could be advancing much more quickly if we could focus on algorithms and libraries rather than language compatibility and re-writing code for the latest language fad.

Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Latest Newsletter Podcast Company. Different tools for different jobs Programming languages are tools, and we choose different tools for different jobs.