This is my take on Ilya Sher’s similar post, though from a different context. He is mainly interested in systems programming, I have mostly written user apps and backend services, and also some developer tools.
I originally thought that I would write a list of the languages and difficulties I have with them, but I realised that there’s an underlying theme that can be extracted. Programming languages I have used either have too much vendor dependence (I love writing ObjC, but can’t rely on GNUstep when I’m not on Apple), too little interaction with the rest of the software world (I love writing Pharo, but don’t love going through its FFI to use anything else) or, and this is the biggest kicker, I don’t like the development environments.
When I work on JavaScript, my environment is a text editor (something like VSCode or emacs) that has syntax highlighting, maybe has auto-completion…and that’s about it. When I work in something like Java, ObjC or C++, I have a build button, an integrated debugger, and the ability to run tests. And, if I’m lucky, a form designer. When I work in something like Swift or Clojure, I have insta-repls. When I work in Pharo, I have all the live browsers and things you hear about from smug people, but I still have to type code for things you might expect to be ‘live’ in such an environment. I get confused by the version control tools, but that might be because I’m not familiar with image-based development.
It feels like, details of the languages aside, there’s a synthesis of programming language with environment, where the programming language is a tool integrated into the environment just like the compiler and debugger, and the tools are integrated into the programming language, like the Lisp macro system. It feels like environments like Oberon, Lisp machines and Smalltalks all have some of this integration, and that popular programming environments for other languages all have less of it.
I’m not entirely sure what the ideal state is, and whether that’s an ideal just for me or would benefit others. I wrote my MSc thesis on an exploration of this problem, and still have more research to do.
