Related link: http://www.heron-language.com
I’m a programming language designer … okay, you can stop laughing. If you don’t believe me, you can look at my wallet … it’s empty. I quit my day job two years ago to pursue my programming language project (Heron) full-time. Since then I have been doing a lot of freelance writing about C++, while developing Heron.
Think of Heron as C++ meets Eiffel, they get drunk, take C out back, and shoot it.
I made some small progress on the language, and the last version of Heron wasn’t too bad. I was able to do some cool stuff with it like write an XML parser, but no one really cared. So I decided a few months ago to go back to the drawing board.
I realized that my big problem was that I lacked focus and I was trying to stuff every cool technology I could find into the language. As a result I was doing a mediochre job of everything, rather than a good job at anything. The new version of Heron focuses on its biggest advantages: generic programming and programming with contracts (PwC). Generic programming support allows Heron programs to be very efficient, while the embedded support for PwC makes for faster development and fewer defects.
At this point, I am preparing the first version of the standard library, and I am wondering what I should emphasize. So my question to you is this: what would it take for a programming language to get you excited?
What would you consider to be the viagra of programming language features?
what would it take?
It would take having Parrot as a target compilation language, so that it can interoperate with the upcoming Perl6 nicely (as well as all other Parrot targets).
Good question
I don't think you're going to wean the best programmers from the teat of chosen languages by attempting to excite the least common denominator, but here's a list of what turns me on anyway:
Lisp - Paul Graham's great essays, the Abelson & Sussman lectures, and a quote from ESR: "LISP is worth learning for a different reason--the profound enlightenment experience you will have when you finally get it. That experience will make you a better programmer for the rest of your days, even if you never actually use LISP itself a lot."
C - That's what the killer apps were written in.
PHP and SQL - That's just the path google led me down when I asked it for some primers on creating dynamic websites.