Future of programming language?

[Loyen]

So, by now it seems like C++ will be the futures programming language.

But what do you think of the future of programming languages??
Will it be easier and better for the user to use it and handle it?

Write down every thing about programming language that pops up on your mind! :)

I'm doing like a newspaper of this and wants you to write with nice grammar and spelling if you can, or I can (hopefully) fix them as good as I can. (swedish)

[Narue]

>So, by now it seems like C++ will be the futures programming language.
Why? If it really seems that way then you should be able to point out a list of convincing reasons.

>But what do you think of the future of programming languages??
I don't really care. As programming languages, tools, and techniques evolve, I'll adapt. I don't need to try to predict the future to do that.

>Will it be easier and better for the user to use it and handle it?
By "user" I assume you mean programmer, because users don't want to write software, otherwise they'd be programmers. And yes, the trend is for languages to be dumbed down such that it's easier for the lowest common denominator to write code without actually learning how to do it properly[1].

>Write down every thing about programming language that pops up on your mind!
So that you can take our words and use them as your own? Your post reeks of data mining for homework answers.

[1] I say this with C# 3.0's new features in mind. The implicitly typed variables are about half a step away from insanity.

[Salem]

> So, by now it seems like C++ will be the futures programming language.
You have a narrow view of exactly what languages are in common use.
COBOL and Fortran are still hugely popular in their respective fields, and are not going to be dislodged any time soon. Both are considerably older than C, nevermind C++.
Likewise there are a whole bunch of new "web oriented" languages which are far more suited to "web programming" than C++ is.

C++ has it's niche like every other language, but it certainly isn't the last word in languages. As Narue says, it's just a tool to get the job done.

You're like a carpenter saying that a hammer is the best and only tool you'll ever need. Whilst it is true you can break a piece of wood in two with a hammer, most sane people consider that using a saw would be a better idea.

Most sufficiently large programs are written in multiple languages to begin with.

> And yes, the trend is for languages to be dumbed down such that it's easier for the
> lowest common denominator to write code without actually learning how to do it properly[1].
Wasn't that one of the thoughts behind COBOL. If you make it verbose enough then anybody can program in it, because everybody can read it. Except that much beyond "hello world", there are a whole bunch of other skills needed to write large programs apart from being able to read.

[rayy]

So, by now it seems like C++ will be the futures programming language.

But what do you think of the future of programming languages??
Will it be easier and better for the user to use it and handle it?

Write down every thing about programming language that pops up on your mind! :)

I'm doing like a newspaper of this and wants you to write with nice grammar and spelling if you can, or I can (hopefully) fix them as good as I can. (swedish)

i think that in the future, programming would be less cumbersome to read and these programming languages would be like everyday english, where we can just tell the computer what to do by just coding in plain english!!!

[Narue]

>Wasn't that one of the thoughts behind COBOL.
Something like that. I think the idea behind COBOL was to design a programming language similar to English so that people could pick it up and use it more easily. Of course, my experience with COBOL says that the experiment failed.

>these programming languages would be like everyday english
That's been tried already.

>where we can just tell the computer what to do by just coding in plain english!!!
Impossible. Plain English (and even proper English) is far too ambiguous to be used as a programming language. Any language based on English would have its own rules separate from English and any benefit of using "plain English" is lost with the new rule set. It's more likely that a form of component programming will develop, where small building blocks are put together to form larger building blocks and at a certain level of abstraction, we don't really do more than slap a few blocks onto a palette. That's basically what we're doing now (a great example of the idea is Forth), but instead of writing code, we would work with blocks that generate code behind the scenes. Much of Visual Studio's drag and drop GUI design features this concept as well.

[Ezzaral]

>these programming languages would be like everyday english
I don't see why this would be some great advantage to make programming more accessible. Most people can't use "everyday English" properly either.

[Rashakil Fol]

So, by now it seems like C++ will be the futures programming language.

I don't mean to reply rudely, but C++ is a terrible programming language, a complete mess. It will not be the future's programming language. Just look at it. And look at other languages. And consider which are better for communicating with the computer.

But what do you think of the future of programming languages??
Will it be easier and better for the user to use it and handle it?

I think the goodness of a programming language depends on several things. One is the ability to prove properties about your code. This implies the machine-assisted ability to control the things your code can do, and throw errors otherwise. I can think of many programming language features which focus on this goal, such as const modifiers, strong typing, static typing, dependent typing, and other keywords with various meanings. Sometimes you want these features, and sometimes you don't, and the level at which you exploit these features depends on the needs of the software you're writing. It also depends on how much these features get in the way. Another thing, more important to me, is the ability to communicate your algorithms efficiently. I can only think of one programming language which really shows serious progress in improving the clarity of communication. Another important thing, it seems to me, is the ability to manage and manipulate libraries and exploit common algebraic structures. The object models employed by various languages are attempts at creating ways of manipulating dictionaries of procedures, and there are many variants at this attempt. I don't know how this problem will be solved. It seems very clear to me that when you see names for design patterns, you're seeing ways of exploiting the limited algebraic features of manipulating dictionaries that some languages offer. But I'm a bit of an impractical theoretic dreamer when it comes to programming language design, so you shouldn't really pay attention to my opinion.

But I think that programming in the future will be more and more like math and less and less like lists of instructions. (And not at all like English.)

[~s.o.s~]

> So, by now it seems like C++ will be the futures programming language.
I was expecting something along the lines of Java or C if you are going by popularity though it would be nice to know the source of your conclusion.

> Write down every thing about programming language that pops up on your mind!
You mean this?

> But what do you think of the future of programming languages??
They would be good at hiding complexities from the developer, complexities which don't concern the developer or the solution achieving process as whole.

> COBOL and Fortran are still hugely popular in their respective fields
That would be not by choice. :-)

> I don't mean to reply rudely, but C++ is a terrible programming language, a complete mess.
It doesn't seem right to look at a tool which you used to use and say that. Just acquiring some new tools doesn't make the old ones terrible, just inappropriate given the boiler plate code you have to write given there are languages out there which can deliver better and more expressive solutions.

'The next big programming language' can be an interesting read.

[Loyen]

Thanks for the great writnings guys. :)

[Narue]

>Thanks for the great writnings guys.
Yep, no doubt we saved you a lot of time and effort doing actual research and coming up with your own opinions.