This will not be another programming language comparison frenzy. I had just some semi-serious thoughts about something I would call “language marketing”:
If you are starting to design a new programming language, start thinking of language identity. I do not know whether this term existed prior to this posting, but language identity is for programming languages what corporate identity is for enterprises. Of course, the scope of the language and all the nifty little features and whether it is compiled or interpreted and for which platforms the language is available is of some importance – but to make your language known, you need a lot more sexiness. This language sexiness is made by (but necessarily limited to):
- A logo. Or better, an allegory. As we see in successful languages, this does not have to be an animal (although this helps a lot with O’Reilly). Java has the coffee, Python has the snake (although the name comes from the British comedy group), Ruby has the gem.
- The name. C++ is a notable exception, taking its fame mostly from its predecessor C, which did not need a fancy name because it was the programming language sent to us from above in the Old and the New Testament. But most popular languages have names which are good to remember. Ask five developers how they are pronouncing “C#” and you will get six different answers.
- A web site. This serves as a hub for everything about your language. The Python page, for example, is so resourceful that keeping a local documentation for the language should never be necessary. There is even a Firefox sidebar for easy access to all the information on the pages.
- A figure head. At best, someone as strange and bearded as Larry Wall (PERL), at least some guru whose name is not even mentioned in full (like DHH instead of David Heinemeier Hansson, Rails/Ruby), or only by first name (“Bjarne said …”).
Tags: design, humor, languages, programming