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Polyglot programming and the benefits of mastering several languages

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Re: Polyglot programming and the benefits of mastering several languages

#61

Post by lborsato »

kstenerud wrote: post #12

As I master my 15th or so language, I can't help noticing how often I have to search online for the simplest of tasks whenever I switch languages now because it's all turned into a big jumble. Does it need parentheses or not? How are closure variables managed? Do I need to release things? Do lambdas require scoping braces or not? What's the damn syntax for them again??? Do I need to use case(X), switch(X), when(X), s…

For me it’s trying to remember the ‘for each’ syntax in every language. I normally bounce between 4 or 5 languages every day.

Re: Polyglot programming and the benefits of mastering several languages

#62

Post by jamesfinlayson »

jerf wrote: post #56
kstenerud wrote: post #12

As I master my 15th or so language, I can't help noticing how often I have to search online for the simplest of tasks whenever I switch languages now because it's all turned into a big jumble. Does it need parentheses or not? How are closure variables managed? Do I need to release things? Do lambdas require scoping braces or not? What's the damn syntax for them again??? Do I need to use case(X), switch(X), when(X), s…

I've dealt with 5 different databases this week. Is it SHOW CREATE TABLE blah, DESC TABLE blah, DESC blah, sp_help blah, \d blah? Is this the database that supports CROSS JOIN? What exactly can I do with aggregate functions and a GROUP BY in this database again?

Ugh, this a thousand times! It's all SQL but all these little side things like describing a table or listing all tables are completely different across the board.

Re: Polyglot programming and the benefits of mastering several languages

#63

Post by albertopv »

When can you say that you have mastered a language? I don't think you can really master dozens of languages, not if you also consider at least the SDK. If it's just the syntax then ok, but after almost 10 years with Java, more recently with kotlin, I still don't know a lot of JDK features. Sql? I worked with Oracle, SqlServer, Postgresql, MySql every one is a quite different beast, knowing (basic) SQL syntax is not enough. Javascript? I'm no expert, but every day I learn a new "feature".

Having said that, the more languages you "know", the better, at least for me the job is more interesting :)

Re: Polyglot programming and the benefits of mastering several languages

#64

Post by Traubenfuchs »

kstenerud wrote: post #12

As I master my 15th or so language, I can't help noticing how often I have to search online for the simplest of tasks whenever I switch languages now because it's all turned into a big jumble. Does it need parentheses or not? How are closure variables managed? Do I need to release things? Do lambdas require scoping braces or not? What's the damn syntax for them again??? Do I need to use case(X), switch(X), when(X), s…

If you don‘t remember those things, you haven‘t mastered the language.

Mastering a language means not having to look up language features all 5 minutes.

-> you haven‘t mastered 15 languages.

Re: Polyglot programming and the benefits of mastering several languages

#65

Post by twox2 »

kstenerud wrote: post #12

As I master my 15th or so language, I can't help noticing how often I have to search online for the simplest of tasks whenever I switch languages now because it's all turned into a big jumble. Does it need parentheses or not? How are closure variables managed? Do I need to release things? Do lambdas require scoping braces or not? What's the damn syntax for them again??? Do I need to use case(X), switch(X), when(X), s…

I kind of think this makes programming all about the IDE.

Re: Polyglot programming and the benefits of mastering several languages

#66

Post by Viliam1234 »

kstenerud wrote: post #12

As I master my 15th or so language, I can't help noticing how often I have to search online for the simplest of tasks whenever I switch languages now because it's all turned into a big jumble. Does it need parentheses or not? How are closure variables managed? Do I need to release things? Do lambdas require scoping braces or not? What's the damn syntax for them again??? Do I need to use case(X), switch(X), when(X), s…

I would probably print a cheat-sheet for each language, with simple examples covering the cases you mentioned here. Looking at a piece of paper next to monitor is faster than googling.

> Anyone watching me work would probably think I don't know a damn thing.

I guess looking at the cheat-sheet would only confirm their suspicions. :D

Re: Polyglot programming and the benefits of mastering several languages

#67

Post by Qem »

Scarbutt wrote: post #8
hpoe wrote: post #5

So since my early days I've been doing multiple languages, started in Java at school then picked up JavaScript and Ruby pretty quickly, as well as being a bash Unix cli afficiando, since then my list of languages numbers in the double digits. One of the things I am always astounded by is developers that only know one language, having multiple languages has changed the way I understand programming in general. At that…

since languages seem so easy to pickup. What takes time is being productive with the APIs and ecosystem, not learning the language.

I agree. For example, while easy to learn, Python is pretty hard to truly master, due to the huge library. I guess going the polyglot route depends on how much time you can spend programming. If it's a full time job, it pays. If you can devote at most 1-2 hours a day, like me, it's probably better to focus in one or two at most, otherwise you will never grok any of them.

Re: Polyglot programming and the benefits of mastering several languages

#68

Post by Fire-Dragon-DoL »

kstenerud wrote: post #12

As I master my 15th or so language, I can't help noticing how often I have to search online for the simplest of tasks whenever I switch languages now because it's all turned into a big jumble. Does it need parentheses or not? How are closure variables managed? Do I need to release things? Do lambdas require scoping braces or not? What's the damn syntax for them again??? Do I need to use case(X), switch(X), when(X), s…

For what is worth, it's the same problem with normal language. I know Italian and English, "great, I can talk to two kinds of people", except that my Italian is fully distorted by my English now (I talk both languages constantly, but I do live in an English speaking country now).

Anyway knowing many languages has some downsides, but in the end if you write the same one for a couple of months the problem of searching disappear. When you switch another couple of months and it's gone again.

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