> > > * Some languages are just fundamentally bad. The flexible string representation is a perfect exemple.
Again, a short explanation: This FSR splits unicode in chunks. Two immediate consequences: - It's necessary to keep track of "each individual internal pieces of text". - It's necessary to waste time in switching between the internal coding schemes. Bad memory and bad performance at the same time. In fact, with such a mechanism, it is even impossible to write an editor. jmf I do not recommend ever > > writing production code in Whitespace, Ook, or Piet. > > > > * Some languages force you to do a lot of bookkeeping, memory > > management, etc. These are inferior unless their corresponding > > advantages (usually performance or memory use) justify it. > > > > * Some situations specifically demand one language. If you're writing > > code to be deployed on cheap web servers, it's probably going to have > > to be in PHP. If it's to run inside a web browser, it pretty much has > > to be JavaScript, ActionScript, or maybe something that compiles to > > one of those. > > > > But that would still leave you with a good few choices. When it comes > > down to it, how do you choose between Ruby, Python, Perl, Pike, > > JavaScript, <insert language of choice here>, etcetera? I can think of > > a few considerations that may or may not be important... and I'm sure > > you can add more. > > > > - Library support. For web work, it might be useful to be able to > > create a PNG image on the fly (live graphs and such), or to have a > > simple one-liner that handles cookies and persistence. > > > > - Familiarity with the language. Why learn another one when you > > already know this one? > > > > - *Un*familiarity with the language. If you're going to have to learn, > > may as well charge your boss for it! > > > > - Proper Unicode support. For manipulating text, helps to be able to > > work with it as text. > > > > - Lack of proper Unicode support. Maybe it's easier to just work with > > bytes everywhere? :) > > > > - Ease/atomicity of deployment of new versions (maybe even while it's running) > > > > - Buzzwordiness? If your boss asks you to choose a language and you > > can say either "Ruby on Rails" or "CherryPy", are you more likely to > > get approval for the former? > > > > Something to throw open there. Citations from actual choices made a bonus. :) > > > > ChrisA -- https://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list
