Why so many languages? What if. . .

[hostbreak]

Dear folks I was wondering why there are so many languages for programming and scripting?
What I mean to say is that there are too many languages for such purposes these days and one person is not able to understand all of them.
Instead why don’t we humans have less number of languages which are more powerful?

And why they’ll become more powerful?
Well obviously when there are fewer languages there are more people related to each and when there are more people related to each one they’ll work more on them, thus making them more powerful.

Take a look at this list I mean its huge and still not all of them
HTML, XHTML, Java, C (Sharp), ASP, ASP.NET, Cold Fusion, PHP,JSP, Perl, WML, XML, Python, C, C++, Cool, TCL, XSL, REXX, Ruby, Rails, SVG
I have gathered this list from different sources.

 

[Peter]

most of the older languages were started because the person who first started it wanted a better way of doing a particular task or had no good way that already existed of doing that task.

With the likes of ASP.net etc they have grown from their predecessor.

PHP for example was originally conceived so a guy could generate reports for his work and it has grown from their.

Ones such html, xhtml, css etc are not actually languages as such, they do not have any logic they cant do anything themselves it just informes the browser how to display what it has. xhtml and xml came about to make things more uniformed. HTML can work regardless of wether there are errors in the scripting, XML will not.

 

[hostbreak]

I see so the languages in existent today are evolved ok I get it a bit

 

[thetzfreak]

Why doesn't the whole world just have one ruler? Why isn't the whole world one certain religion? There are varieties in everything.

 

[adam_uk]

because strangley enough its not efficent.

you have different languages to do different tasks.

you have html to explain to browsers what to do
you have css to tell the browser how to style the page
you have xhtml because its a developed version of html
you have .net platform because it evolved.

fact is not every language suits every job and if you had one language to do everything it would be bloated, slow and crap.

 

[hostbreak]

Ok I see........What has done is past but now don't you guys think that the world can come to a platform which is more robust and economical

 

[PoorDoggie]

Take a look at this list I mean its huge and still not all of them HTML, XHTML, Java, C (Sharp), ASP, ASP.NET, Cold Fusion, PHP,JSP, Perl, WML, XML, Python, C, C++, Cool, TCL, XSL, REXX, Ruby, Rails, SVG
I have gathered this list from different sources.

you have to have different languages for different purposes:

HTML - Layouts
XHTML - is HTML, just proper HTML, and not "bad" HTML
Java - Not a web language, really
C#, C and C++ - are all practically the same
Asp and Asp.net - are the same
Cold Fusion is, as far as I know, a web server, but I am not sure
PHP, JSP and Perl all perform the same things, but have unique ways around them. JSP, I think, is client side.
XML is a way of storing data without using a database, I wouldn't call it a programming language
WML I have never heard of
Python is a simple language for beginners really

The other languages I have never heard of, but most of them are just people playing around and trying to make a name for themselves. ITs the same with Linux really, there are so many different types because people all want their linux to be famous, but it never is. Lol

Interesting disgussion though!

because strangley enough its not efficent.

you have different languages to do different tasks.

you have html to explain to browsers what to do
you have css to tell the browser how to style the page
you have xhtml because its a developed version of html
you have .net platform because it evolved.

fact is not every language suits every job and if you had one language to do everything it would be bloated, slow and crap.

like a car (web site) basically, you can't have a "car" you have to make it out of little components (languages) which are in turn made of other components (scripts).

 

[abdulmueid]

WML is Wireless Markup Language, used in cellphones mostly. It is derived from HTML but is relatively stricter with fewer tags to get smaller files in order for cellphones to easily open then.

 

[armstrong]

Ok I see........What has done is past but now don't you guys think that the world can come to a platform which is more robust and economical

If you think that statement through, what you propose is to create another language - this time one that fits your idea of robustness and economy. Probably all programming languages were designed for the same reason.

 

[thetzfreak]

If you think that statement through, what you propose is to create another language - this time one that fits your idea of robustness and economy. Probably all programming languages were designed for the same reason.

I COMPLETELY agree with that That's really smart! Java was created to make the a PERFECT version of C++... people got fed up with it and went on to make one that's 10x better, but, people still use C++!

 

[PoorDoggie]

Ok, lets say you want to make another language. I think you will have conflicting problems here:

1. You would have problems distinguishing between things ie: server side and layout. At the moment, in php you can utilise HTML, but to create a language that does both seamlessly would be so intricate, and depressingly hard to learn that no-one would bother.
2. The scripts would be slow. The compiler would have to sort through the code first, and pick out anything that needs to be sent to the browser, then the browser would have to pick out what was client side compiling, then would have to pick out style, and then layout, with anything else in the middle! If you are going to put them in "sections" then you are just repeating what PHP already does.

 

[axilant]

All programming languages were made for certian reasons. to do something easier (not everything), but a special task.

 

[hostbreak]

Ok let me explain...
Why there are a lot of languages doing the same? Was, my real question. Maybe you have not yet understood it properly.
Secondly I am not saying that there has to be ONE and only ONE language But fewer. For instance one to compile and one to interpret (for web) and so on

 

[axilant]

like i said. Each programming does a special task easier. But not EVERY task, there was a special task using a certian programming language that is easier to do than other programming languages.

 

[PoorDoggie]

Why there are a lot of languages doing the same?

because of different reasons:

- HTML & XHTML do the same, but XHTML is a form of html that will only allow proper HTML. HTML nowadays will accept anything, whereas XHTML won't.
- PHP and ASP are practically the same. ASP (or ASP.net) is Microsoft, and they just want to make a name for themselves on the internet. ASP costs, but PHP is better, I say.
- What I call the "offline" programming languages (java, c, c++, python etc...) are mostly the same because they are run by different people. Also, they are the same, but different, in that they all do the same, but in different ways. Python, for instance, is easy to learn, and execute, whereas c++ is harder to learn, but has more functionality because of.

 

[J_Ronaldo_19]

i understand php and html not really sure with Javascript though but they are different as some are easier than others and some don't do what others do

 

[pratiknaik]

Most languages exists because of legacy code and too much of work needed to rewrite already stable code base. The best example I could think of is Perl.

And - rails is not a programming language. "Ruby on rails" is a very robust MVC based web-application framework which is really bringing Ruby into main stream. The only reason I am catching up on Ruby right now.

-Pratik

 

[hostbreak]

So it means that we (HUMAN) can't come to a platform

 

[PoorDoggie]

i understand php and html not really sure with Javascript though but they are different as some are easier than others and some don't do what others do

javascript is for client side data processing. It will do stuff after the page has loaded. So you can use it for timers, and stuff!

 

[axilant]

php - good with keeping track of stuff, easy access to a database...
javascript - great for making navigation bars, live clocks.. ect..
perl - is pretty much outdated imo, they need to revamp the entire language and make it a little easier without the chmoding ect...
asp - its great at being slow