Programming Languages

Programming Languages jjames has used:

Timeline Graph

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

Scheme

Perl

bash

BASIC

Fortran 90

Ruby

PHP

Python

Javascript

XSLT

AppleScript

Objective-C

Clojure

Scheme

1995–

The language that taught me that I wanted to learn how to program something larger than a calculator. The smallness of the language is inspiring as a contrast to most modern language designs. Also, Guy Steele has the most boss name in history.

Perl

1995–

I was called crazy by everyone I met who had a job in software for obsessing about Perl 4. I still don't know how I found it or how it found me. Now people call me crazy for obsessing about Perl 6.

bash

1995–

Pre-requisite for linux, especially in the terminal reliant, dark ages. It doesn't get much recognition but it's a damn fine, influential and useful language.

BASIC

1995–1998

I accidentally learned BASIC on a Sharp graphing calculator (and later TI) as a side effect of trying to avoid having to memorize physics equations. Turned out that after I'd expressed them as software I couldn't forget them.

Fortran 90

1996–1998

Learned during an internship at the Quantum Theory Project on the University of Florida campus running simulations of laser canon effects on silicone. I wrote visualization modules for IBM's Data Explorer in Fortran 90. Seriously.

Ruby

1998–

I picked up Ruby before google translate and all of the documentation was in japanese. You had to put on a mining helmet and take a pick axe to the language to get any milage at all. I always assumed that had something to do with the titling of the book.

PHP

1998–2005

I did it for the money

1998–2003

I decided to learn C by building a TCP socket server which morphed into an IRC chat like system which morphed into a MUD. During this time I grew my first serious beard. It helped me think just hard enough not to segfault.

Python

1998–

Originally learned out of curiosity arising out the Perl community's slights and jabs, Python currently dominates my software output.

Javascript

2000–

I don't know if it is fair to say I completely understood the power of javascript when I first learned it (or that I do even yet). I am constantly amazed and confused by both its elegance and warts. I love them both.

XSLT

2003–2005

I remember building my resume from an XML schema originally included with Gentoo documentation and a custom XSLT. That's when I knew I'd really made something of myself.

AppleScript

2007

If I told you why and how I've used this language, I'd have to kill you. It feels more like remorse than regret.

Objective-C

2009–

I discovering the vestiges of Smalltalk's beauty buried deep beneath Objective-C's absurd verbosity, I learned to see OO as a chain of call and response rather than glorified structs on a raft of philosophy. Only after that did I fall in love with the language. XCode didn't hurt.

Clojure

2009–

Learning a variety of lisps and taking an interest in non-java JVM languages, I was a natural sucker for Clojure. My current wish-I-could-build-everything-in-it language. And I will, just you wait. Why are you laughing?