Programming Languages

Programming Languages twhitton 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

Ruby

Perl

Java

bash

PHP

Javascript

AWK

Python

LISP

Haskell

Scheme

Erlang

Clojure

ActionScript

1995–

C was my first programming experience. Unfortunately, I didn't start with K&R or any formalized instruction. Instead, I poured over the docs included with the Borland C compiler I'd downloaded from a local BBS and painstakingly assembled a Pong program. The fact that it worked is a small miracle considering that I had no idea what I was doing. I've been back and forth with C ever since.

Ruby

1999–

I hopped on the Ruby train just as it was leaving the station. In the good old days, docs were hard to find, and the going was rough, but friendly hackers on Usenet helped me along. I still believe Ruby is the best object oriented scripting language around and use it regularly.

Perl

1999–

Ah, the old aptly titled swiss army chainsaw. The first truly agile language I've ever learned. Coming from C to Perl was like going from a match to a flame thrower. Probably not the best choice for large applications, but that never stopped me. I still use Perl to tear through text but not much else these days.

Java

1999–

I learned Java in college and never used it again until recently. Now I use it daily to write software for mobile phones. It's full of ceremony, hard to love, and klunky as hell, but it gets the job done. For a taste of real pain, try Java Lite (J2ME) instead of the full flavored Java 6.

bash

1999–

Sysadmin scripts... Lots of them. I've written more than a few deployment systems in Bash. I still couldn't tell you the proper syntax for a conditional. I write bash with a reference nearby. It gets the job done.

PHP

1999–

Oh god... no... the horror.

Javascript

2000–

Honestly, I've never really learned Javascript. I generally crib just enough information from Google to limp up and down the DOM. I know it has all kinds of nifty functional features and a bright future ahead. One day I will give it its due.

AWK

2000–

I have a small handful of one-liners that I couldn't live without.

Python

2000–

I've written a lot of code in Python. It's a very solid language, but I have a hard time getting excited about it. I'm really not sure why, but I have a hard time trusting languages with broken lambdas.

LISP

2002–

Ancient and crufty, full of antiquated names for things, and flippin' awesome. I came to Clojure via Lisp and then back to Lisp via Clojure. Feels appropriate somehow. I've also written a small Lisp interpreter which I believe is a rite of passage for any Lisper.

Haskell

2008–

Man, I have tried to learn and love this language. It's like a magic wand in the hands of a beginner. So seductive but likely to destroy you... WTF is a monad anyway?! C'mon guys.

Scheme

2008–

PLT dialect. Beautiful language. I haven't used it for anything serious, but it makes a mean slide show.

Erlang

2008–

I spent a substantial time learning Erlang over Winter break a few years back. I read Programming Erlang cover to cover, wrote a bunch of small programs, and fully intended on writing robust servers with OTP. Those servers never happened, but I still love Erlang.

Clojure

2009–

Ahh, my new favorite language. I always wanted to have the fabled Lisp epiphany, and Clojure is the closest I've come. It's pragmatic, elegant, and full of magic. Clojure is the only language that compels me to program for fun.

ActionScript

2010–

I just started learning AS for the explicit purpose of writing Flash games. It's great for compiling directly to a SWF file. It's not so great otherwise.