Comp Lang Perving. Index

Syntax Soup

• Syntax Soup

Semantic Noodle

• Semantic Noodle

On LISP

• Xah on Lisp

Python

• Why Python Sucks. Index

Programing Language Hate and Love

• Why I Hate C (2012)
• Why I Love Golang (2019)
• Why I Love Powershell (2021)
• PowerShell Complexity (2019)
• Why Bash Sucks (2022)
• Which Programing Language is Easier to Learn (2019)

Which to Learn

• The Measure of a Programing Language (2000)
• What Languages to Hate (2002)
• Why I Hate the C Language (2012)
• Which Programing Language is Easier to Learn (2019)
• Which Programing Language is Best for Text Processing (2025)

Expressiveness

• What is Expressiveness in Programing Languages (2005)
• Programing Languages Expressiveness Comparison (via line count) (2025)
• Practical Aspect of Expressiveness of a Language (2016)
• Problem of Expressive Programing Languages (2021)

Popularity

• What Determines Programing Language Popularity (2007)
• Programing Languages Popularity, 1997 to 2006
• Python Surpassed Perl In Popularity (2008)
• Programing Language Websites Popularity (2008)
• Programing Language: Will Lisp Ever be Popular (2008)
• What Programing Language Does Google Facebook Twitter Paypal Wikipedia Etc Use? (2011)
• Programing Language Popularity 2017
• Clojure's Popularity — a Tango with Java (2016)
• Why is Java Popular (2022)
• Why is Python Popular (2022)

• Why There Isn't Lots Lisp Jobs (2010)

Programing Idioms and Coding Style

• Coding Style. Using Operator vs Function Call
• Code Formatting. One-Line vs Multi-Line (2025)
• Coding Style Conflict, Algorithmic Efficiency vs Repeated Source Code
• What is One-Liner, Code Golf, Obfuscation Contest (2022)

• Code Fun: One-Liner Loop Functional Style (2005)

• Coding Style: Concrete vs Abstract Code (2021)
• Coding Style: Elegance vs Simplicity (2019)
• Coding Style: Why Idioms Are Bad (2012)
• The Nature of Idioms in Programing Languages (2015)
• Coding Style: Python Dictionary as Switch Statement (2013)
• Coding Style: Abuse of Logic Operators (Short-Circuit) as Control Flow (2015)

Formatting

• Indentless Code Formatting Style
• Elisp: Automatic Code Formatting
• Text Editor Feature. Extend Selection by Semantic Unit (2006)
• the Harm of Hard-wrapping Lines
• Tab vs Space in Source Code
• Unixer Plain-Text Email Fetish (2002)
• Unix, RFC, Line Truncation (2002)
• Emacs Why line-move-visual
• Emacs Form Feed ^L

More Misc

More articles. (Due to the essays written over past 20 years, the articles are in different directory and hard to organize in a coherent way.)

• HTML Correctness and Validators (2008)
• Linden Scripting Language Problems (2007)

Variable Naming

• Quality of Terminology In Computer Languages (2008)

Social Issues

• Smartest Programing Language Creators (2022)
• What Does it Mean for Programing Language to Have a Spec
• Who Invented Hello World (2021)
• Cause of Ugliness in Software (2018)
• Proliferation of Programing Languages
• Perl, Laziness and Larry Wall (2002)
• Perl Larry Wall and Cults (2000)

• One Language to Rule Them All?

• From Why Not Ruby to Screw Python Hello Ruby
• 3D Graphics Formats and Social Causes in Computer Languages

Jargons of Software Industry

• Programing Language Jargons. Index

Tech Doc Humor

• Doc by Dummies. Index

regex and parsing

• Xah Regular Expression Articles Index

unsorted

• Unix Shell Shebang Hack #!

• Programing Language Speed Comparison (2025)

• On GPU vs CPU Algorithms Compilation, Cpp, Parallel Computation, Wolfram Physics (2023)

• Design Patterns Fad (2025)

• Why PHP and JavaScript Are Great (2025)

• The problems of JavaScript (2025)

• Cpp Doc on Reduce. Incomprehensible (2025)

• Fold (aka Reduce) is Functional Form of Loop (2025)

• Programing Language Design. Loop and Iteration. (2025)

• What is Bit Diddling (2025)

• Programing, on Creating Abstractions, OOP vs FP (2024)

• What Happens When You Replace C by Go in Linux (2024)

• Programing Language: Self-Reference Problem in String Syntax (2024)

• Is Programing Math? (2014)

• Does Programing Language Matter, and Story of the Gordian Knot (2024)

• Linus Torvalds on Line Truncation

• How's Shortest Code Solution Defined?

• Avoiding Variables in Functional Programing
• Why is Namespace So Difficult?
• Why Learn Lisp When There Are Perl and Python

• Emacs Lisp vs Perl for Text Processing (2007)
• Emacs Lisp vs Perl: Validate Local File Links

Xah Talk Show

• Xah Talk Show 2021-02-06 Characteristics of Haskell, Perl, Ruby, Python, Clojure, Java, JavaScript, LISP, WolframLang
• Xah Talk Show 2020-05-23. Which programing language is worth learning? The Future of Lisp

Programing Exercise

• Code Fun: Index

by other people

• Iterators: Signs of Weakness in Object-Oriented Languages (By Henry G Baker, 1992)

• John McCarthy LISP, 1960. Recursive Functions of Symbolic Expressions
• History. Evolution of Lisp, Guy Steele, Richard Gabriel, 1993
• History. Evolution of Emacs Lisp 2020 By Stefan Monnier, Michael Sperber

• A Brief History of Software Engineering, by Niklaus Wirth (2008)

• Object Oriented Programing, Origin of Inheritance
• Rust in Perspective. Programing Language History. By Linus Walleij (2022)
• Python vs OCaml (2014)