Why did we move from punch cards to programming languages? What does that tell you about the purpose of programming languages?
Moving from punch cards to programming languages was a big change as punch cards took a lot
of space, time and energy to make and organize so that the program would run properly.
On the other hand, programming languages are very easy to organize,
and after learning the syntax of one of them, it isn't hard at all to get the hang of others.
Why do we need so many different programming languages?
No one really said that we need all of these different programming languages.
Most of them, if not all, just share the same purpose: translating what humans are thinking of
into a language that a computer understands, which is binary (1s and 0s). While it is true that some programming languages
are known more than others in terms of executing a certain task easily and in a timely manner,
doing simple research can not only show you, but also teach you how these tasks can be performed by other languages.
For example, HTML is known for creating websites, but you can also use Python to do the same exact thing.
What are some drawbacks of a programming language you use? How would you like it to be different?
One of the programming languages that I learned to use was Java. The only drawback I got
from using it was that sometimes, the built-in function or method names didn't make sense in the context
of what they are used for. For example, the ".super();" method refers to the constructor of the parent class.
Without having studied it, I don't think I would have ever connected the dots. So the only thing I'd change
is the method names that make no sense, and replace them with logical ones.
If you were going to create a new programming language, how would you start? What do you need to define?
If I were to create my own programming language, I would first consider all the challenges I face while coding,
and provide their solutions before anything else. After that, I would consider the problems that my peers face,
and try to figure out their solutions.
When it comes to syntax, I think it would be best if it was similar to Python in a way,
making it easier to memorize and understand, but I would also add some of the functions
or methods used in Java for functionality.