Which music for which programming language?

[katmai539]

Hello,

yesterday, a friend of mine who develops in all kinds of languages but mostly VisualBasic.NET, told me he only listens to the regular kind of pop and rock, and sometimes to heavy metal kind of things.

But -he told me- when he had something to do in C-style code he immediately changes the genre to 128BPM house and techno, because the more technical structure in this kind of music gets him in the right mood for this kind of languages.

Next, when it came to programming Microchip 8-bit assembly he changes to glitch-core and industrial noise and stuff like that, because of the computerized glitchy sounds.

I find that i do the same: i code in VB.NET, starting out on C++ and sometimes i catch myself screwing around in LOGO (isn't really a programming language, though).

For me it's only metal for VB, dark ambient for C++ (because of it's minimalistic emptyness-style i recognize in it) and when i do LOGO, it changes to psychedelic trance like the old Infected Mushroom and Yahel and stuff.

All together, my question is do you people find the same? And if yes, what kind of music for what language?

greetings, Katmaï

[JasonHippy]

Hmm, that's a very interesting question...
I tend to listen to a lot of different music at work and at home, but my choices usually depend on my mood and my activity rather than any specific language I might be using.

For example, if I'm debugging code, reviewing code, or doing anything that requires intense concentration; I'll usually throw on something more atmospheric. e.g. light classical, folk, acoustic, light jazz, ambient, industrial, noise or drone. But the exact selection will depend on my mood, so it could be anything from Norah Jones to Merzbow.

However, if I'm banging out code, then it'll be something with a bit more energy. Again this would depend on my mood, but I usually select something that I can rock out to when code-jamming! So it could be virtually anything from rock, metal, thrash, death/black metal and grindcore to dance, glitch, drum & bass, electro and industrial. I usually choose something technical or unusual (Tool, Meshuggah, Venetian Snares, Frontline Assembly etc.), but sometimes you can't beat something simple that rocks out in straight 4/4!

So going back to the original question, no I don't listen to a particular genre when programming in a particular language. But if I had to equate a programming language to a specific music genre then I guess this would be my list:
Assembly/Machine code:
Industrial/Electro Pop/New Wave (think Kraftwerk, Throbbing Gristle or Devo), full-fat geek!

C++:
Math Metal (Meshuggah, Dillinger Escape Plan, Converge etc) because like the language it's heavy and technical.

C:
Prog rock (Rush, Zappa, Gong), it's C++'s eccentric older brother. It's just as technical, perhaps not quite as heavy, but it still rocks after all these years!

VB.NET and C#
Would probably be Jazz, but I'm thinking more along the lines of Richard Cheese rather than traditional Jazz here. Because just as richard cheese does 'swankified' versions of contemporary hits; VB and C# are 'Swankified' versions of popular contemporary languages that came before them..heh heh!

Python
Would have to be classical, because it's elegant, verbose and refined

Brainf***
Would have to be Avant-Garde (Naked City, Mr Bungle), or some other madness inducing genre...'cause it's mad as a box of hats!

Cheers for now,
Jas.

BTW: Pardon my french, but there really is a programming language called Brainf***, I wasn't being gratuitously profane or anything! :)

[JamesMadison1]

Every body has different idea. So my idea may be different from others. I think HTML, CSS, and Java are the best programming languages.

[sneekula]

I would imagine that Dallas and Arlington Home Inspectors listen to the sound of all those Dollar bills the are cheating their unsuspecting customers out of.

Seriously, I find that classical music is best for any good programming language.

[Sodabread]

I tend to listen to trance (Tranzworld series, stuff off OCR), drum & bass (gotta love Roni Size & Dieselboy) or metal (Earth Crisis, Becoming the Archetype) when I code. I need something high energy that gets me motivated. On a rare occasion I'll throw in some ska or punk like Voodoo Glow Skulls, just to help lighten the mood a little bit.

Complicated algorithms mean NO singing/shouting - Holst (the quiet Planets!). My mortal mind muddles 'mid metallic music. Great for drudgery of html/css though - Metallica, System of a Down and classic old 70/80's metal.

[vegaseat]

Complicated algorithms mean NO singing/shouting - Holst (the quiet Planets!). My mortal mind muddles 'mid metallic music. Great for drudgery of html/css though - Metallica, System of a Down and classic old 70/80's metal.

I will go along with that kind of music.

[Luxifour]

FORTRAN: Something heavy and technical, or without a strong rhythem perferable with some symphonic undertones, simular to how I percive the huge old machines that it was originally designed on, Loud and technical.

[Bench]

Well I don't usually listen to music while programming (if i'm at work, I'm usually keeping an ear out for things happening around me), but here's my take on it :D

Visual Basic - Lady Ga-ga. Naff, Cheesy, Only appeals to teenagers. You probably wish you'd never heard of it in the first place.

C++ - Nine Inch Nails. Has stood the test of time - deep, quirky and always a little bit experiemental. You either love it or hate it.

C - Depeche mode. Eloquent, Brilliant, Definitely an acquired taste.

Java - Nirvana. Still annoyingly popular, even though most of us got bored with it a long time ago.

C# - Muse. Melodic, Adventurous, Thoughtful - Even if its not quite your cup of tea, you can't help but appreciate it.

F# - Rage against the machine. The very idea of it should have been dead a long time ago - but against all the odds it seems to be alive and kicking on a brand new wave of optimism. Will it last this go around? Time will tell.