RE: [OPINION] - does language really matter if they all do the samething?

From: Christian Wilcox (cwilcox_at_etcconnect.com)
Date: 01/23/04 

Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2004 12:59:38 -0600
To: <python-list@python.org>

> Programming languages affect the way people
> think about problem solving in different ways. The capacity to
> solve problems is one of the most important capacities a
> programmer can expect to have. In addition, it is the
> responsibility of the programmer to see that some languages are,
> by virtue of their design, made to solve certain problems in
> certain ways, under various definitions of program flow, data
> storage, etc. To suppose that all programming languages are,
> as you might put it, fundamentally equivalent is to suppose
> that english and arabic are, in the same sense, just two sides
> of the same coin, which is a gross oversimplification of the
> matter and a disrespect to the qualities of the languages
> that make them distinct. On a more conjectural note, spoken
> languages are more than just ways of expressing ideas; by
> virtue of being evolving systems of communication, they serve
> as an insight into the culture and people that developed
> them. Programming languages are the same in that respect.

You might find this http://www.artima.com/intv/craft.html artima.com interview (especially the section "Learning Languages") with Yukihiro Matsumoto, creator of Ruby, interesting. He discusses how certain programming languages focus on specific paradigms, which could allow a programmer to think in ways they may not otherwise.

Python doesn't necessarily force any specific paradigm, which is one of it's selling points, IMO.

Christian Wilcox