Why are there so many programming languages?

 

Humans use different languages ​​to communicate and understand each other due to the different countries and cultures, as well as programming languages, are different because each of them is used to serve a specific purpose, but this does not prevent some of them are used to do more than one purpose. for example; Java is used for Android development, C++ is used to develop computer games with advanced graphics, and Python is used for web development and data processing. When designing a specific computer program, its purpose is to solve a specific problem with a set of codes. The primary purpose of all these languages ​​is to convert human ideas into a language that computers understand (1 and 0). However, in addition to the popular programming languages ​​that we all know, there are about 2,500 other programming languages ​​out there, so the question arises: why are there so many programming languages?

 

Examples of some programming languages ​​and their functions

 

As we mentioned, there are many programming languages, and each has its own specific function, and these are some of them:

 

● Javascript: It is considered one of the most popular programming languages, and was created from the beginning in 1995 for front-end development so that both web developers and designers can learn and create website features in a short time frame. Currently, Java is used for general purposes, but mainly for Android development, back-end development, and front-end and embedded software.

● C++: The language created to upgrade the features of the general-purpose programming language C. C++ is currently used to develop computer games with high-quality graphics, and is also used in developing operating systems and desktop applications.

● Python language: This language was invented in 1991, and the purpose of its invention was to simplify writing and reading code. Most programming languages ​​used special characters to separate blocks of code, and therefore, the readability of these languages ​​was very poor. Python introduced the use of indentation with its notable use of large white spaces to improve code readability.

 

Python is for general-purpose programs, but it is not as fast as other programming languages, but it has an excellent ability to develop websites and manipulate data, and the program build time is much less in Python compared to other programming languages.

 

● HTML/CSS: This is not a general-purpose programming language per se, but is geared more specifically toward developing websites. Languages ​​like Python, which is used to create the backend (the part that interacts with the database) of websites, work by sending HTML to the server. HTML provides the structure for the website, while CSS is used to design and restructure the website.

 

● PHP: Invented in 1994 to create web applications, PHP is used to add functionality to an HTML program. It allows you to retrieve data and generate HTML in useful ways before sending it to the user's browser for viewing. Companies like Facebook use this language extensively.

 

● R language: This has become a popular programming language in recent years, and is used exclusively for statistical analysis and things that are closely related to this field.

 

● Go: Created by Google in 2009 because the languages ​​they were working with at the time were too slow and inappropriate for certain tasks, and Google wanted a programming language that was fast in performance but easy to read at the same time.

 

Programming Language: When Hardware and Software Meet!

 

As you probably know, almost all computing takes place in the Central Processing Unit (CPU). The modern processors we have today contain many microelectronic components. This processor can be broken down into smaller computing units known as transistor logic gates. The primary function of these logic gates is to implement three basic operators: AND (and to add), OR (or to choose), and NOT (not to reject). These operators operate on a binary numerical system (0 and 1) where 0 indicates no current flowing through the transistor, and 1 indicates no current flowing through the transistor.

 

A modern CPU has something called minified code preinstalled inside it. This code is a layer of basic instructions used to carry out more complex executions, known as machine code.

 

Compiled and Interpreted Programming Languages

 

Perhaps the most influential decision in the design of a programming language is whether to compile or interpret, ie compiled languages ​​such as C++ and Go are precompiled to machine code, resulting in an executable. Compiled languages ​​such as Python, JavaScript, and Ruby are translated into machine code at run time. An operating system is a program that starts when you start your computer until you shut down the computer. The operating system is also responsible for managing complex tasks, such as managing files and managing inputs and outputs.

 

Compiled languages ​​tend to be faster than compiled languages; Because the process of converting code to machine code does not need to happen as fast. However, this means that developers using compiled languages ​​have to wait longer than users of compiled languages ​​between making a code change and testing the program.

 

Another difference is that compiled languages ​​are statically typed (each variable holds a predefined type such as an integer or string, which is known in advance), while compiled languages ​​are usually typed dynamically (a variable can store a value of any type). Developers see static writing as overly restrictive, but it reduces the number of errors that can occur at run time, as most mismatched write errors will be caught at right time. For example, trying to add a number and a memory address together will cause a runtime error in a dynamically typed language, but a statically typed language can detect and warn against this error before the program is executed.

 

Syntax in programming languages

 

Computer processing chips understand machine code (binary instructions of patterns 0 and 1), and in theory, we as humans could write programs this way, but it would be incredibly impractical.

 

Assembly language is a step up in the chain, allowing a small set of human-readable keywords that can be used to write code. Although some tech experts can program this way, the vast majority of people need something better. High-level programming languages ​​such as C++, Java, Python, and Javascript provide a powerful set of accessible keywords that make programming accessible to a wide audience.

 

Memory management

 

Another important factor in language performance is how it manages memory, as both compiled and compiled languages ​​need a way to allocate memory to store data, and free that memory once it is not being used. The ways languages ​​do this usually fall into two categories; Manual and automatic.

 

Some languages, including C++, choose to place more memory management burden on the developer. The manual memory management strategy gives the developer complete control over when memory is allocated and released, allowing them to adjust program performance and memory usage. However, manual memory management requires more thought on the part of developers, and failure to do it properly can lead to exhausting errors, memory leaks, and security vulnerabilities.

 

On the other hand, languages ​​like Java and Python manage memory allocation internally. This relieves developers from worrying about memory management and gives them more time to work on other program features, but it adds complexity to the inner workings of languages ​​and can lower performance in some applications.

 

Why do developers keep creating more programming languages?

 

Although there are many programming languages, developers do not stop creating new languages, for the following reasons:

 

● Increasing Technological Advancement: The first and perhaps the biggest reason why so many programming languages ​​exist is that technology is always evolving, and if we want to keep up with the speed of technology, we need to create and adopt more sophisticated tools to make software for these technologies. Also, current languages ​​lack the capabilities to tackle many modern problems, and the problem may be so unique that there are no current solutions to it, so people or companies decide to create a new language themselves.

 

● Different developer tasks require different programming languages: Another reason why there are so many programming languages ​​is that developers work on different tasks in the process of developing websites, games, and other applications, and the jobs require different languages ​​and tools at different stages to accomplish them.

 

● Different projects have different needs and goals: Another reason why there are so many programming languages ​​is that different projects have different needs and goals. Today, no single language can meet the needs of developers or companies, so they use multiple languages ​​to achieve their goals. Developers also check the relevance and accessibility of the language to implement for their projects, so needs and goals determine the use of the language.

 

How do you choose the programming language that you should learn?

 

Now that I understand why there are so many programming languages, another question you might ask next is which programming language should I learn. The answer is quite simple: instead of looking at the programming languages ​​themselves, you should think about your end goals. What type of programming job do you want to work at? What do you want to build? What do vacancies require in your area? Once you look at these factors, you can choose a programming language that will help you achieve your goal.

 

For example, if your goal is to create a professional website, learn HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. If you want to break into game development, go with C++ and C#. Or, if you want to start your career in mobile apps, you should check out Swift for iOS and Java or Kotlin for Android apps.

 

In the end, the main reason that there are so many programming languages ​​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. And all programming languages ​​are similar when we look at them from a broad perspective. They are all tools to enable communication between humans and computers, and they convert what we write into machine code (0 and 1) so that computers can understand our instructions.