What is the most powerful programming language?

[SolidPez]

What is the most powerful language? Also, What is the most flexible, in terms of how much can be created?

[Matty_Cross]

I think it really depends on what your trying to write.....

Asked a couple of my programming friends, and we all pretty much agreed that C/C++ was the most powerful, and Java was the most flexible...

[NUKEM6]

I would have to say C and its many variations!!!

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[freeOn]

I would have to say C++, JAVA and VB. They are the most widley used. SO it really depends on what you mean by a Powerfull language. Every language has it's own special features. Which is why there are so many.

[ThePreacher]

This is an easy one. Try assembly language.

[Matty_Cross]

Assembly would be the most powerful language, I'd have to agree..

but the problem is, it takes too much code to do stuff in it...

[pwaring]

The most powerful method of programming is to write directly in machine code, but this is something which only people who built the first computers can do. Assembly does a similar job, but is still too low-level for most people.

The most powerful language that you can realistically learn is C/C++. All of Unix is written in C, as are most commercial games.

[Therealmaster]

Originally posted by SolidPez
What is the most powerful language? Also, What is the most flexible, in terms of how much can be created?

I guess that i'd have to agree with just about everyone here, C/C++ is the most powerfull language (in reasonable learning terms),whilst java is the most flexible one going, although i guess with m$ removing it from up and coming OS's (java support that is) it might be overtaken by C# (pronounced C-sharp)

[Matty_Cross]

Isn't microsoft just removing the Java VM from the installation of the OS??

I installed XP on my other computer to check it out, and I just had to install a java VM...

[Therealmaster]

Originally posted by Matty Cross
Isn't microsoft just removing the Java VM from the installation of the OS??


So far as i know...but the problem is that a lot of new users wont want to have to install a java vm on their machine, or wait whilst the file is downloaded.

[eesy]

i would say that C/C++ are the most powerful,

but the thought of programming in machine code intrigues me,

pwaring, anywhere i could get some tutorials/books on it?

[petemcevoy]

Perl - powerful and flexible.

[nipp2001]

Originally posted by petemcevoy
Perl - powerful and flexible.

Yes I would have to agree and also say that perl is a powerful and very flexible language. :D

[hehbris]

Java is as flexible as sun lets the JVM be. Java is hardly the most flexible. It does however take advantage of object orientated methologies and offers many packages which result in completion of projects in a much shorter time. Can this be considered powerful? I am currently working on some commercial software in Java and due to its lack of flexibility, I must write native interfaces in C.

[SolidPez]

Looks like C++ wins out.....thanks for your replies

[Stronzo]

It really depends what you are trying to write.

If you are doing something that requires speed such as games, os' etc, C/C++ definately wins out.

Java is the most powerful for scientific simulations. You are able to predict atomic reactions and such with precise simulations because of the fact that it is a true object oriented language.

VB ain't powerful, it just sucks. But we still gotta use it. :P

Assembler does win hands down since it is the lowest common denominator. There are things that you can't do in any other language that you must do in assembler. Plus the fact that these languages are just assembler using a set of rules.

Anyways, that's my two cents.

[baby8dingo]

Assembly is a great language.

A good book is Introduction to RISC Assembly Language Programming by Waldron 0201398281

RISC= Reduced Instruction Set Computer. It is a good little book to start with.

Also you could get Computer Organization & Design by Patterson Hennessy 1558604286

If you are using an intel chip you could get The Intel Microprocessors by Brey 0139954082.
But you could get into trouble.

You should start with the Waldron book, and use a simulator. You can ftp a simulator from ftp://ftp.cs.wisc.edu/pub/spim that goes with the book. Or better still write your own simulator. They are not too hard to write and it will give you a better understanding of assembly

[pwaring]

Originally posted by Matty Cross
Isn't microsoft just removing the Java VM from the installation of the OS??

I installed XP on my other computer to check it out, and I just had to install a java VM...

The reason for this is Sun winning a lawsuit against Microsoft because MS was trying to make Java applets only work on their machines, or only with IE installed etc. (the usual stuff that MS does to retain it's stranglehold on the OS and browser markets).

[cF_nM]

It not only depends on the language itself, but also how well the programming utilizes the language......

[thor]

C/C++ gets my vote:)

[SolidPez]

By reading your posts...I got the impression that Assembly is a B*tch to learn...so I'll heed your advice (most people's adivce anyway) and go with C++ for power,flexibility,mobility...

[Zair the Wise]

Assembly isn't that hard, but C/C++ code is far more "readable".

if(a == 4)
{
do something
}

which is in C++, is easier to understand for someone that doesn't know either language than

MOV AX,A
MOV BX,4
CMP AX,BX
JZ DOSOMETHING
JMP ENDOFDOSOMETHING
DOSOMETHING:
<does domething>
ENDOFDOSOMETHING:
<keeps on with the rest of the program>

which is in Assembly. And it's quite shorter too. But once you get used to them, both the languages can be unserstood as well as reading english

[ammo]

However for someone to be able to really do something with your piece of assembly code, you'd have to specifiy for which processor/instruction set it is coded... ;)

Ammo

[ammo]

Originally posted by SolidPez
By reading your posts...I got the impression that Assembly is a B*tch to learn...so I'll heed your advice (most people's adivce anyway) and go with C++ for power,flexibility,mobility...

Yup, it can be a bitch to learn, and re-learn for every platform... And also, building anything of substance in asm means attrociously, painfully long hours of coding and incredibly difficult time re-reading, debugging and mainting the code..

In other words, nobody writes whole programs in asm anymore; that's why 3rd and 4th generation languages have been invented... Most of the time, asm will be used to code a specific alogrithm that will be used inside a 3rd/4th GL...

Ammo

[shkuey]

This is probably an unpopular way to learn programming, but the first "language" I learned was Pascal. Not powerful, not flexible, barely even useful. However in it's simplicity it teaches very basic elements of programming that make learning other, more powerful, languages much easier and faster. Now I prefer c++, but I also deal with VB because of it's easy integration with m$ products.

[pakbehl]

When talking about programing languages, flexibility=power. In any case, hex tears up any language, but who really uses hex anymore except for sub-programming.

[intruder]

a combination of C , C++ , Assembly will be a guided missile with atomic warhead. ready to strike anywhere...

intruder...

[rcgreen]

"Powerful" is a term that can mean opposite
things in programming.
In a high level language, a single statement
can invoke huge library routines
and accomplish impressive things.
This is powerful.
In assembly language, you can write
the subroutines that touch and intimately
control hardware, manipulate individual
bits etc.
This too is powerful.
:cool:

[KorpDeath]

the all powerful Pascal.

Thank you. Don't applaud, just throw money.

[g0pher]

I use c/c++, perl, and assembly,
these three get my vote,
java sounds like a good one too, but i've never looked into it

[ArmyOfOne]

Originally posted by petemcevoy
Perl - powerful and flexible.
Perl r0x! i love it... I'm still a beginner but like it already ;) i've found some excellent tutorials.. :-D

[cgkanchi]

I use C/C++ and Java, so I'll have to say that C/C++ is the most powerful in normal terms (ie you can do almost anything with it) but java has an extensive api right out of the box allowing you to immediately use it for a wide variety of applications. As for a first language, I'd say learn C from a total beginner's book(C for dummies comes to mind).

[Mystic Ravenous]

Asm would probably be the most powerful, since it is the number 1 choice for makeing virus's. It takes alot o code to do something, but it is small in size.


But if you wana learn something good go for C/C++, Java, And Perl
.

[Code-X]

i have to say that i like assembly and c/c++ but
if i have to choose one to create a program i could use c/c++ cuz u don't need to write so much
but assembly can do amazing things like viruses

any language is a powerfull tool when you know how to use
i have to say that go learn all c/c++, assembly, perl, pascal, cobol, clipper, vb, java, delphi, php, asp, html,cgi, irc, sql, dhtml, vrml, CSS and never stop learning until u become the all u can be heheheheheh

[Cykat]

I would say C/C++ and Perl.

Perl is a great language, but it gets painful if your writing large amounts of code, its starts to get pretty convulted...

but very flexible.


:firedevil:

[Antivenom]

Binary...;)

[gearsmithy]

Most powerful language is hands-down Assembly because you have pretty much complete unadulterated control over all aspects of the machine you're written the proggy on.

[nameless301]

Yeah I have to say C++ is the best!!!

[haynboi]

anyone heard of Python???

[mayhem991]

The most powerful language on any machine is the assembler language. All other languages rely on it and you have the full facilities of the system at your command. The problem with all assemblers is they are machine specific and to run on another machine means a reprogramming.

Using an assembler you have use of the full range of registers, heaps, and stacks.

[phaza7]

Man assembly is the most powerful language! It take little if U know the lang it isn't hard and
it gives U full control over the system. The other languages are 2 high-level 2 compete.

[HTRegz]

Without a doubt.. Turing.... maybe assembly gives you system level access, and C++ is amazing.. but Turing is the language.. I keep a copy of Turing 8.0 for DOS on my desktop and laptop and my roommate has a copy on his Desktop, his Pocket PC, his computer in his Car, and he also has a 486 that is nothing but turing. I love the language... I'm doing to get ahold of WinOOT 3 or 4 whichever the new one was.. which has INET protocol support.. I think that'll be incredible.. but in the mean time. Turing 8 does nicely.

[Terr]

Strangely enough...

Powerful does not necessarily equal useful. It all depends on the work you wish to accomplish. If you want to make your floppy LED flicker in tune to some music, probably assembly is needed. :)

But were you to make a graphical word-processor... would you really want to use assembly? Assembly would likely be disempowering because of the repetitive overhead.