Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!ucsd!sdcsvax!ucsdhub!esosun!seismo!sundc!rlgvax!tony
From: tony@rlgvax.UUCP (Tony Stuart)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.misc
Subject: Re: Tearing down the tower of Babel.
Summary: Why stop at programming languages?
Keywords: Babel programming languages
Message-ID: <1048@rlgvax.UUCP>
Date: 5 Dec 88 14:41:35 GMT
References: <418@ubbpc.UUCP>
Organization: Computer Consoles Inc, Reston VA
Lines: 38

In article <418@ubbpc.UUCP>, wgh@ubbpc.UUCP (William G. Hutchison) writes:
> There are too many programming languages.

One could say the same thing about editors, word processors,
spreadsheets, data base management systems, operating systems,
computer hardware and much more. And there is no reason to stay
within the computer field. One could argue that there are too
too many different styles of automobiles, too may different
kinds of houses and of course, too many human languages. :-)

> My job is helping software vendors convert their products onto my company's
> UNIX systems.  That job would be considerably easier if there were fewer
> languages in use.

From this perspective fewer programming languages would certainly
help. I agree that common programming languages should be used in
commercial software development. But that does not mean that new
languages should not be developed. There are numerous reasons for
developing new languages, including the solution of specific problems,
the introduction of new programming paradigms and functionality,
and of course the old favorites, fame and fortune.

> My objective is to persuade people that programming in "minority language"
> (those not widely used) is bad in many ways.

Is any language that is not already in common use a minority
language? How can a new language ever become a "majority" language
unless it passes through a period of being a minority language?

The problem with discouraging the design and use of new languages
is that it assumes the best is already available. It's kind of like
the argument at the turn of the century for closing the patent
office "because everything had already been invented."

-- 

        Anthony F. Stuart, {uunet|sundc}!rlgvax!tony
        CCI, 11490 Commerce Park Drive, Reston, VA 22091