Ask HN: Can someone explain to me why all languages don't try to have the same syntax?

Why does every language need its own syntax? Why does PHP need to use crap like echo and all those dollar signs instead of something more universal?

Why can't all those projects come together and figure out a single universal standard for writing syntax? So that writing code would be exactly the same, no matter what technology you choose to use. At least for the simple stuff.

Why do programmers need to waste time remembering 20 different ways to write something as stupid as a Hello World application?

The problem with standardization is that you iron out all of the innovations. Certain language constructs are simply better for certain tasks. Lisp is built for recursion so it's great with lists. Object-oriented languages in theory are great for modularity and maintainability. Granted all these aspects have a lot to do with the coder in addition to the language.

If all languages required you to manage memory as in C I'd wager we'd have many fewer entry-level script hackers. Sure, every program would be lickety-split fast, but the App Store certainly wouldn't have 10,000+ apps.

And if every app were written in Java everything would be very portable but also quite slow. It's all about trade-offs and picking the right tool for the right job.

Different semantics

Because people have different syntactic preferences? Because some people hate c-style brackets while others hate python-style white-space? While it would make life easier in the short-run for those trying to learn a language who have pre-existing knowledge of the standardized syntax, it's quite possible that some other syntax would lead to wildly improved programmer productivity or, at the very least, much more readable/aesthetically pleasing code.

In general, there seem to be a plethora of values which can be considered in choosing the syntactic form of a language: aesthetics, productivity, tradition, etc. Having different syntax between languages allows different niches for languages within these values not to mention allowing the possibility of great innovations which could improve the experience of programming. Seems unlikely that any current language has the optimal syntax with respect to maximizing all these values and hence it seems foolish to cut off innovation.

This question can not be fully answered in prose. It can only be answered with a challenge: Learn four or five diverse languages reasonably well, then try to create the single syntax that works well for all of them. You'll understand when you're done... or perhaps rather, when you find you'll never be done.

I will give one example of the tens upon tens of issues you will encounter: What's the one true syntax for a type declaration? Then, once you've answered that, how does that one true syntax manifest in Python/Perl/Javascript?