My Dilemma with
Modern Programming Languages
My dilemma with (modern) programming languages.
In recent years, learning new programming languages is no longer as much fun for me as it was at the beginning. And I have been learning new languages for over 30 years now.
In the first few years, it was mainly nerds and computer enthusiasts who were interested in programming. It was fun to exchange ideas with like-minded people. We solved many problems that today make the use of dozens of tools and various cloud solutions “necessary”. Hardly anyone is interested in how it all works anymore. Only how to deliver something as quickly as possible. Without questioning it.
It’s no secret that I really like using Go. For me personally, it was the first (compiled) language that came with such extensive tooling. And yet today you almost have to consider whether to keep it a secret. Because Go is so bad. And so many things are missing. And it also has a GC.
I also think C is great. The next problem. Just don’t say something like that out loud. Or you get a monstrous shitstorm. What is going on here?
In fact, Go will not disappear from my toolbox. I can certainly imagine an alternative to C. I see two rivals that want to take this place. And I’m really only speaking for my needs and not in general. They are Rust and Zig.
Rust is mature. It has now been given its own IDE by JetBrains. It is used in the Linux kernel and in Windows. It seems to be the clear favorite. On the other hand, Zig is as minimal as C and Go. It has an incredible compiler in terms of speed and cross compiling.
Rust: Whenever I read something about Rust on LinkedIn, someone wants to make its position clear. That there can be no alternative. That everything new should be written in Rust. I don’t even see that it is limited to specific areas. It is supposed to be the new ultimate programming language for everything. However, I have not yet seen a project where several dozen developers are actually working with Rust. Including a lot of inexperienced junior engineers. Does it work?
Zig: Absolutely brilliant. 100% control and nothing is hidden. However, its development is currently perhaps a little too dynamic. The IDE support is also not ideal. However, I feel very comfortable with Zig and its environment, so I will not lose sight of it.
C: Still my absolute favorite. And I know about its weaknesses. And yet it is a wonderful language that offers me the greatest possible control. And I think it’s bad that you can hardly say that anymore these days. C is evil, after all. They say. But it won’t disappear that quickly.