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Have you ever asked yourself this question? In a tech landscape, in which language programmes abound, it might be tricky to choose the most suitable one for your project.
Even if they all serve a general purpose, there might be some that adapt better to your needs, depending on what result you pursue. There might not be a one-size-fits-all in programming, but you can evaluate and ponder on your choice keeping your project in mind.
The first thing you should do is know your context. Define the kind of project you want to take forward and everything that surrounds it: scalability, versatility, speed, budget, maintainability… Some features are always desirable when working with a programming language as they will facilitate working with them.
The first one is simplicity, let’s not complicate ourselves! The language should be easy to understand and use, clear and simple without it compromising the overall goal.
Ideally, the chosen language should also provide capability. A robust set of features will ensure smooth running as well as the possibility of performing several tasks.
Abstraction will also be necessary to define and use complicated structures or operations while leaving aside certain low-level details.
Of course, it will need to have structure to avoid errors and to have a base to go back to when writing the code.
Efficiency is a must, to avoid both excessive memory and time consumption. Details are welcome if they bring value but if it is not that noticeable, compactness is preferred.
The most important is that it will need to fit with the answers in our following section, but those are not the only questions! Each project will have its own, and these circle around the main, most common questions that can help you approach the choice.
The only perfect programming language is the one that perfectly fits your particular needs for the project, as well as your team’s. Making them part of the choice can prove to be useful, besides saving you potential problems in the future!
Before choosing you will need to know the environment for which you are developing mobile, web, desktop, data analysis, enterprise-level… Not all languages perform equally in all these environments, so you will need to find the one with the best-fitting features for your specific project and the use it is intended for.
If that was the case, they might prefer the formerly used language or, in reverse, a different one that fits better, having now learned from what did not work.
Being realistic about your assets is important when making such a decision. The type of language can directly impact your staff and the needs that may arise from them, like specific pieces of training or hiring specialists with the necessary skills.
A proper ecosystem would be one in which the language still receives support from the developers, is regularly updated and has an active community that can help when questions arise.
Maintainability is crucial as, even if it is ideal for your project, not having enough support can lead to problems later on.
The generated code will need to work with other tools used by the company for a continuous workflow without constant readjustments. Before considering adopting or changing more tools, it would be wise to study the contenders’ compatibility with the current tools.
Security is non-negotiable in tech, especially when we talk about companies that work in a technological environment. Having an unreliable programming language can result in a security breach or other severe issues in the future. The severity of the limitations and restrictions will vary depending on the sensitivity of the content handled.
As we mentioned before, some languages require a steeper learning curve than others, and that will add to the amount of time spent on the project. Learning curve or not, there are also simpler or more complex programming languages that will directly impact the length of the project, without considering possible incompatibilities.
Some projects are tightly defined from the beginning, while some will evolve and will be open for further development in the future. This is an important consideration to keep in mind when choosing a programming language as not all programming languages are as versatile.
The number of programming languages out there can be overwhelming but let’s start with a list of some of the top ones and what you can expect from them. We also indicate some tasks in which they stand out, but that doesn’t mean they are the only ones they can perform.
If none of them suits your needs, you can always resort to creating your own language. Making this decision should not be taken lightly, as a new language brings a lot of challenges and obstacles like developing it, integrating the needs or the lack of a support system are just a few. The size of the project and the outcome desired will be some of the factors that will tip the balance to one option or the other.
Making choices like this one is no easy task but knowing where you are and where you want to go are the main points. Regardless of the project, we advise you to make yourself those questions and any others that may arise to have the bigger picture when choosing a programming language.
Do you want to put to use your programming knowledge and you are looking for a place to do it? We’ve got you covered: visit our jobs page and discover our current openings!
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