Pointless Languages

erikwebb · 09-09-2002, 08:41 PM

This is a random question, but what does everyone think is the most pointless and useless language ever? My personal vote is for Python, after all - correct me if I'm wrong, but what is there special about Python different from other languages?

marianna · 09-09-2002, 11:05 PM

i would not pick on python - it has it's place and its history
you'd be syrprised how many companies use it

i think every language has it's place and point (yes, even ones i dislike as VB)
If you ask me, I think Microsoft's whole .NET thing is fairly lame - it's just an attempt to monopolize the platform for softwre developement
They take perfectly good languages and replace them - what do they need to do that for?

**Bunkermaster** · 09-10-2002, 05:58 AM

well Python may be coming ack pretty hard with Zope...

My pointless language would be... hmmm let me think... VBScript (for IE not talking about the actual only alternative to a shell that windows have

).

stuartc1 · 09-10-2002, 09:04 AM

Well its got to be PHP, hasnt it ?, I mean who uses PHP anyway ? its got to be one of the least used languages on the Internet today, and it rubbish. Now VBScript, now your talking thats the language to use, isnt it ? he, he, he.

... only joking.

By the way, I think python has got pretty good OO for a scripting language... well this is what I hear... so I guess it must be pretty good. and I hear it has quite a bit following, and its growing.

largo · 09-10-2002, 02:02 PM

Coldfusion

With all the "for dummies" books out there, if there was to be one for CF, it's be called "for retards". (too harsh?... vicious comment welcome.)

**Bunkermaster** · 09-10-2002, 02:06 PM

vicious comment.

CF as in cfm pages with very non standard tags?

hehe when I was a paid software quality engineer I used to be called to test the load of CFM servers... always funny to crash a server after 12 minutes of easy scripting.

largo · 09-10-2002, 02:12 PM

Vicious comment accepted.

We run cf-server on an NT box here... you sneeze in that room and it'll crash.

**Bunkermaster** · 09-10-2002, 02:22 PM

NT...

sneez ?? VIRUS ALERT!!!!

/me hides nehind SOLARIS box

largo · 09-10-2002, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by marianna
If you ask me, I think Microsoft's whole .NET thing is fairly lame - it's just an attempt to monopolize the platform for softwre developement
They take perfectly good languages and replace them - what do they need to do that for?

well the flip side is, projects being developed in .net from scratch offer a fantastic library for developers. It's extensive and very well written making a lot of tasks easier. I have never used .net and know as much about it as I do about pig farming, but having spoken to 3 .net developers who have php roots, I think it probably wouldn't fall in the useless category. (Neither does CF -- and python certainly doesn't).

Flash? Can we go with that? Does that involve scripting? "I don't know flash" (add Dr.Evil accent)

**Bunkermaster** · 09-10-2002, 03:28 PM

flash has client side scripting and it IS useless (for blind people)

erikwebb · 09-10-2002, 06:53 PM

Sorry guys, you're totally right. I just did some research on Python and now I understand how stupid that comment must sound. So....now....I have to just ship on Python and, following suit, trash all those VB "programmers" out there. (And no, I'm not talking about you VB database programmers or anything. Just those 15 year-old "programmers" who think "Hello, world!" with some nifty graphics is a program.)

**Bunkermaster** · 09-10-2002, 07:30 PM

lol hello world hehe reminds me of a good one.
Couple years ago as a QA manager for a cellphone companyI had to test a SIEBEL project.
After 2 month of heavy coding these 5 SIEBEL experts had a marquee saying "We love M&Ms" and a 30 second delayed msgbox saying "Ho no we ain't got any M&M left". Apart from the it was standard Vanilla (no customization) SIEBEL
2 month 5 guys ( 2 x 20 x 5 = 200 days for a couple messages...)

guess the language...

VB

clearbreach · 09-10-2002, 07:34 PM

I never knew what Python was until 4-ish months ago. I first learned about it when it was announced that it would be the scripting language for an upcoming game (SWAT: Urban Justice). Being even a little interested in programming and a fan of the game series, I drove straight into learning it.

I still think it's applications beyond the game are a tad ... "useless", but nonetheless it's quite an interesting language that I'm glad I took a bit of time to get into the basics of.

( erikwebb: us VB "programmers" have feelings too

)

**Bunkermaster** · 09-10-2002, 07:43 PM

have a look at Zope and tell me if you still think Python is useless

http://www.zope.org

dannys · 09-10-2002, 09:01 PM

Well my vote would be Ruby - pretty much Python with some very minor syntax diffs, infact many people consider it to be little more than a Python ripoff (granted most of those people are Python users).

ASP/VBScript has to come pretty close - not even close to being usefull without a load of 3rd party extensions. And it's Win32 only (unless you count ChillSoft/Cobalt/Sun (or whoever owns it atm) ASP which can't even use the 3rd party extensions!)

There are probably loads of other 'niche' languages which were destined to take over the vorld but didn't (can anyone remember Rebol?

)

And as for that Perl thing - don't think that ever took off :-)