Which computer languages do you know?

[Charlie Reams]

As far as computer languages go: at various times over the years I've been fluent in C, CORAL, Pascal, BASIC, BCPL, numerous flavours of Unix shell but especially ksh, and countless others. Nowadays my only practice is with PHP (does that even count as a language?) and that has whole function libraries I've not even looked at.

(So as to prevent the other thread getting sidetracked.)

For my part I can claim fluency in Java, C, C++, PHP, Perl, ML and VB/ASP (although haven't touched the latter pair in years), along with a smattering of Javascript, Python, Prolog, Verilog, Haskell and Bash, although I would struggle to write anything large in those. In terms of non-programming languages, I'm also fairly au fait with HTML, CSS and SQL, as hopefully evidenced by this small website I put together.

I enjoy SQL as a kind of lipogrammatic challenge, and a lot of Statland pages are done in a single query, which is really an exercise in self-flagellation.

[Phil Reynolds]

In terms of non-programming languages, I'm also fairly au fait with HTML, CSS and SQL

Oh yeah, those for me too. I thought of HTML when I was writing my earlier post and decided it wasn't really a language. But I suppose the L in the name is a bit of a giveaway.

[Rosemary Roberts]

It's going on for 30 years since I programmed professionally, so my languages are correspondingly arcane: Cleo, Leo III Intercode and 6502 machine code plus various BASICs and macro languages. I once wrote a COBOL program, but I don't count it as a language (and don't claim any "knowledge" of it).

[David O'Donnell]

A little bit of BASIC - what do I win?

[Alec Rivers]

A little bit of BASIC - what do I win?

A

Code: Select all

Television.Channel4.Countdown.Prizes.Teapot

object.

[Kirk Bevins]

I'm also fairly au fait with HTML, CSS and SQL, as hopefully evidenced by this small website I put together.

So au fait that when I clicked the link it appears to be down lol. Oh the irony.

[Alec Rivers]

I'm also fairly au fait with HTML, CSS and SQL, as hopefully evidenced by this small website I put together.

So au fait that when I clicked the link it appears to be down lol. Oh the irony.

lol. "Firefox can't establish a connection to the server at apterous.org."

[Charlie Reams]

I'm also fairly au fait with HTML, CSS and SQL, as hopefully evidenced by this small website I put together.

So au fait that when I clicked the link it appears to be down lol. Oh the irony.

Haha. Power cut at Apterous Towers. (Although as usual, that isn't irony.)

[JimBentley]

I can still remember pretty much everything I used to know from Spectrum BASIC from back in the 1980s (even all the ridiculous optimisations you had to do to save memory on variables). I tried to learn Z80 machine code (well, assembly language, I suppose) but got bored with it and gave up without getting very far. I suppose I know a bit of Visual Basic, but only really the bits that are similar enough to Spectrum BASIC to guess.

God, that's really crap considering I've been using computers for so long.

[Marc Meakin]

Heres a limerick for you then

if (computer.fail == true) {
background.setColor(blue);
user.frown();
sys.shutdown();
user.scream("OH, F**K YOU");
}
FWIW I haven't got a scooby doo what it means

[Alec Rivers]

Heres a limerick for you then

if (computer.fail == true) {
background.setColor(blue);
user.frown();
sys.shutdown();
user.scream("OH, F**K YOU");
}

lol. That's pretty good.

FWIW I haven't got a scooby doo what it means

It refers to the 'blue screen of death' on older versions of Windows.

[Marc Meakin]

Heres a limerick for you then

if (computer.fail == true) {
background.setColor(blue);
user.frown();
sys.shutdown();
user.scream("OH, F**K YOU");
}

lol. That's pretty good.

FWIW I haven't got a scooby doo what it means

It refers to the 'blue screen of death' on older versions of Windows.

Thanks Alec
I assume you know the answer to this then :
Why do programmers always mix up Halloween and Christmas?

[Ian Volante]

Nowadays, SQL via SAS, some VB, and in the past, HTML, FORTRAN77 and BASIC. Never got that good at any of them simply because I've never needed to. I'm a cannibal programmer, I can usually work out how some code works and adapt it.

[Alec Rivers]

Thanks Alec
I assume you know the answer to this then :
Why do programmers always mix up Halloween and Christmas?

Because OCT 31 = DEC 25

'31' in octal (base 8) is 25 in decimal.

[Peter Mabey]

Why do programmers always mix up Halloween and Christmas?

Thanksgiving could also be included

My languages started with Pegasus Assembler - relied on others for the Mk I*, so never learnt its radix-32 language
Then came Honeywell (forget what they called the language) followed by IBM 360 for most of my career, eventually moving on to C. Started on Objective C, but retired in 1970 before making much use of it.
I've had to debug COBOL, but haven't needed to write any, have used FORTRAN up to IV, and still use BBC BASIC when I need a quick program for my laptop

[Charlie Reams]

Oh the irony.

I'll show you irony, boi.

[Alec Rivers]

Oh the irony.

I'll show you irony, boi.

That is brilliant. Almost worth doing on purpose, I'd say, as it can never be surpassed (not that I'm suggesting you did it deliberately, of course).

[Lesley Hines]

I used to do shell for a living, so B, C (shell, not the language although syntactically similar), and K, but the beauty of UNIX is if you don't like the shell you're using you write your own. I'm pretty reasonable with C, C++, VB, VBA, HTML, CSS and SQL - enough to sort out system downs, but I was never an application programmer or an official DBA. The C etc. was mainly for writing printer / device drivers and the like. I also used to write middleware database translators in MONK, which was awful. It did do the job though. I've worked on several systems that had languages written specifically for the application, so there are a few custom languages in there that (hopefully) I'm never going to work on again. If it hasn't made it to being a major language there's a reason for it!

[Charlie Reams]

I used to do shell for a living, so B, C (shell, not the language although syntactically similar), and K, but the beauty of UNIX is if you don't like the shell you're using you write your own. I'm pretty reasonable with C, C++, VB, VBA, HTML, CSS and SQL - enough to sort out system downs, but I was never an application programmer or an official DBA. The C etc. was mainly for writing printer / device drivers and the like. I also used to write middleware database translators in MONK, which was awful. It did do the job though. I've worked on several systems that had languages written specifically for the application, so there are a few custom languages in there that (hopefully) I'm never going to work on again. If it hasn't made it to being a major language there's a reason for it!

The more I know about you, the more I think you're a totally awesome person.

[Phil Reynolds]

C (shell, not the language although syntactically similar)

I never really bought into this. The C shell is hideous IMO, while the programming language C is lovely; versatile, neat and compact, unlike the overblown and over-designed C++. But there you go, people much brainier than me think C++ is great, and even csh has its defenders. Most software application areas seem to split programmers into two passionate and vociferous camps, from operating systems down to text editors. Hey, maybe we could have a vi versus emacs war!

I've worked on several systems that had languages written specifically for the application, so there are a few custom languages in there that (hopefully) I'm never going to work on again. If it hasn't made it to being a major language there's a reason for it!

Haha. This brought back memories of trying to write a compiler for ASL, the Action Specification Language developed in the early '90s by Kennedy Carter for doing Shlaer-Mellor OOA. The original language definition was so poor that it was impossible to parse it unambiguously, and they changed some of it as a result of my feedback. I haven't thought about it for about 13 years, but I see they're still trying to flog it.

[Lesley Hines]

Charlie, add 'Charm' to the languages thread!

Yeah, I never said I liked csh. ksh every time I had thought that my preference stemmed from familiarity, rather than a calculated dislike. Especially as the clients we had on csh were tight tossers too, but therein lies the joy of working for an outsourcer. Whatever, I'm perfectly happy to agree!

Hey, maybe we could have a vi versus emacs war!

Love it! (You do know vi would win, though, right?)

[Phil Reynolds]

ksh every time [...] vi would win

I think I'm in love. (Oh, hang on...)

I bet you even pronounce vi properly.

[Lesley Hines]

I bet you even pronounce vi properly.

[Andrew Feist]

ksh every time [...] vi would win

I think I'm in love. (Oh, hang on...)

I bet you even pronounce vi properly.

I always say "vim". (ducking and running far away)

[Phil Reynolds]

I always say "vim".

Yeah, so do I, if I'm talking about vim (which I usually am). But if I'm talking about vi I say vi. Call me crazy.

[Alec Rivers]

I always say "vim".

Yeah, so do I, if I'm talking about vim (which I usually am). But if I'm talking about vi I say vi. Call me crazy.

lol. I've never even heard of it. Just curious, is it VEE, VAI, VIH, VEE-AI, or VEE-EE?

[Marc Meakin]

Or thigh.

[Phil Reynolds]

Just curious, is it VEE, VAI, VIH, VEE-AI, or VEE-EE?

It's "vee-eye".

[Alec Rivers]

Just curious, is it VEE, VAI, VIH, VEE-AI, or VEE-EE?

It's "vee-eye".

Thanks. (That's what I meant with VEE-AI, but I now realise that was ambiguous.)

[Derek Hazell]

Just curious, is it VEE, VAI, VIH, VEE-AI, or VEE-EE?

It's "vee-eye".

Thanks. (That's what I meant with VEE-AI, but I now realise that was ambiguous.)

Is it just me who thinks this sounds identical to just saying the two letters?

[Lesley Hines]

Is it just me who thinks this sounds identical to just saying the two letters?

Excellent - you have the point. It's two letters, not a word

I must confess though, getting particularly bored hearing the debate between two truly hard-nosed pedants, to suggesting they just call it 'six' and be done with it. Then I shimmied off.

NB: Shimmying can only be done by girly admins. Men doing it just doesn't work. Also it's the only time I would ever call it that but something had to be done



That was me, that was.

[Ray Folwell]

Started off with FORTRAN more than forty years ago. Moved on to PL/1 and IBM 360 assembler.
I used various flavours of BASIC including VBA.
Since retiring, I've taught myself HTML, PHP and JAVA (just to prove to myself that I can still hack it)

[Kai Laddiman]

(just to prove to myself that I can still hack it)

"It" being the Pentagon, right?

[Alec Rivers]

lol.

[Ian Fitzpatrick]

It's going on for 30 years since I programmed professionally, so my languages are correspondingly arcane: Cleo, Leo III Intercode and 6502 machine code plus various BASICs and macro languages. I once wrote a COBOL program, but I don't count it as a language (and don't claim any "knowledge" of it).

It's not often I come across anyone who has heard of CLEO let alone written in it. Did you once walk through the LEO machines in Cadby Hall too?

I also used FORTRAN and Algol (and probably BASIC) but letterly concentrated on 4th Generation languages so as not to test my patience any futher.

[Rosemary Roberts]

It's going on for 30 years since I programmed professionally, so my languages are correspondingly arcane: Cleo, Leo III Intercode and 6502 machine code plus various BASICs and macro languages. I once wrote a COBOL program, but I don't count it as a language (and don't claim any "knowledge" of it).

It's not often I come across anyone who has heard of CLEO let alone written in it. Did you once walk through the LEO machines in Cadby Hall too?

I also used FORTRAN and Algol (and probably BASIC) but letterly concentrated on 4th Generation languages so as not to test my patience any futher.

I don't think I ever visited Cadby Hall, but on my first day I was reverentiallly ushered through the two Leo IIs at Hartree House. The Leo III was comparatively compact - most of it fit in one room. For the first few years my husband worked on the Cleo compiler while I worked on the Master Routine.