Software Engineering Stack Exchange
Software Engineering Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [languages]

According to Wikipedia, Language is the human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, and a language is any specific example of such a system. The scientific study of language is called linguistics.

According to Wikipedia, Language is the human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, and a language is any specific example of such a system. The scientific study of language is called linguistics.

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Why is XML called a "language" exactly?

I've been wondering why XML has an L in its name. By itself, XML doesn't "do" anything. It's just a data storage format, not a language! Languages "do" things. The way you get XML to "do" stuff, to turn it into a language proper, is to add xmlns…
Mr Lister
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Java: "Heap pollution"

A "Heap Pollution" as in Non-Reifiable Types (The Java™ Tutorials > Learning the Java Language > Generics (Updated)) Why is it called that way?
user18404
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8 answers

How can I write a set of functions that can be invoked from (almost) any programming language?

I'd like to find a way to write an API that can be accessed from any other programming language via language bindings (or some other framework). Is it possible to do this? If so, which programming language would be the most suitable for writing a…
Anderson Green
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Why do old C-style method names continue being used in modern languages?

I understand that in the earlier days of computing, shorter method names like printf made sense, because storage was limited. But why do modern languages like Python and Go still use the less readable names from the C APIs? Why don't they switch to…
bigblind
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Is there a real advantage to dynamic languages?

First I want to say Java is the only language I ever used, so please excuse my ignorance on this subject. Dynamically typed languages allow you to put any value in any variable. So for example you could write the following function…
Aviv Cohn
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Case insensitive keywords in a language

We're trying to write a custom scripting language. There has been a suggestion to make the language forgiving by providing case insensitive keywords. I personally do not like the idea, but there are few people in my team leaning towards it, saying…
Curious
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Are there any programming languages that follow a minimalist development approach?

I find it that when languages are considered the same as commercial software, there is always a constant need to add new features to justify new releases. Can there be or are there languages where version 1.0 is the final version? Of course bug…
Joan Venge
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Surviving MATLAB and R as a Hardcore Programmer

I love programming in languages that seem geared towards hardcore programmers. (My favorites are Python and D.) MATLAB is geared towards engineers and R is geared towards statisticians, and it seems like these languages were designed for people…
dsimcha
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What non-theoretical, practical programming language has no reserved keywords?

I have been searching for a practical programming language that has no reserved keywords but I haven't had any luck finding one. I am working on a programming language for my own edification and entertainment and I haven't needed to include any…
user7519
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Should one learn new languages or only should concentrate on languages you already know and increase your knowledge of it?

Which way is more beneficial and productive?
Chankey Pathak
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Gradual Typing: "Almost every language with a static type system also has a dynamic type system"

This claim by Aleks Bromfield states: Almost every language with a static type system also has a dynamic type system. Aside from C, I can't think of an exception Is this a valid claim? I understand that with Reflection or Loading classes at…
hawkeye
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Are the Stack and Heap hardware, OS, or language-specific concepts?

In languages such as C or Java we have the concepts of the Stack and the Heap. Are these abstractions the particular language runtime/compiler creates over the plain-old RAM? Or are these concepts inherent to the OS? In other words, do the Stack and…
Aviv Cohn
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What constitutes a dead programming language?

Imagine you were elected coroner of IEEE or somesuch governing body and you had to pronounce a programming language as dead. What signs would you look for? Are there any zombie languages out there that don't know they're already dead?
Peter Turner
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Are Java's public fields just a tragic historical design flaw at this point?

It seems to be Java orthodoxy at this point that one should basically never use public fields for object state. (I don't necessarily agree, but that's not relevant to my question.) Given that, would it be right to say that from where we are today,…
Avi Flax
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Why does C have no competitors in low level stuff?

As far as I know, C is by far the most widely used language for low level stuff such as systems programming and embedded. Sometimes assembly is used, but that's when you really need to be close to the hardware. My question is why doesn't C have any…
Aviv Cohn
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