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Re: Should We Strive to Only Have One Language in Our Development Efforts?
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Posted: Aug 8, 2007 9:37 AM
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> It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to master both C# and > Java, or both Python and Ruby. The gain is not worth the > overhead. What is important is that we understand > different styles/paradigms: PolyParadigm (vs. > PolyGlot)programming, if you will. So knowing Java and > Python (or some other cross-style combination) is where > the advantage is, don't you think? Isn't it the paradigm, > even more than the language that implements the paradigm, > that really affects our thinking?
It is, but some people would argue that Ruby is "better Python", just like Python was "better Perl" and Perl was "better shell". So, there is progress within a paradigm.
That being said, multiple languages from different paradigms are fine co-existing together, when needed. But within one paradigm, co-existence should be temporal more than spatial, i.e. we should stick to a language as long as is reasonable and switch to a better one when it really makes sense. Too often languages are over hyped and falsely presented as "silver bullets". Ultimately, it is not before one starts using it in real world that it becomes clear whether this language really delivers.
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