[Info-vax] The Kotlin language, something for VMS as well?

[Dirk Munk]

Bill Gunshannon wrote:
> On 7/12/2017 8:43 AM, Dirk Munk wrote:
>> Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>>> On 7/11/2017 7:24 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>>>> On 7/11/2017 10:21 AM, Dirk Munk wrote:
>>>>> I read an interesting story about Kotlin, a kind of next 
>>>>> generation Java.
>>>>>
>>>>> It has many similarities with Java, but also some big improvements.
>>>>>
>>>>> At the moment you can compile a source to a .jar file, and run it 
>>>>> with a Java Virtual Machine, or compile it to Javascript.
>>>>>
>>>>> However, in future (already in test phase), it will be possible to 
>>>>> compile Kotlin programs with a LLVM compiler, and produce 
>>>>> executables.
>>>>
>>>> Kotlin is getting some traction in the Java community.
>>>>
>>>> Many think that Scala even though promising is too complex
>>>> of a language and that Kotlin may be a better choice.
>>>>
>>>> But I would expect most of its usage to be in the JVM world.
>>>>
>>>> Browser (JS transpiling) and iOS (LLVM) is side shows.
>>>>
>>>> But definitely an interesting language.
>>>>
>>>
>>> And after just a short glance at the reference manual it has me
>>> rolling on the floor.
>>>
>>> Potential for strange and hard to locate errors - see colon.
>>> Functions that return no value - I thought void was added to C for a 
>>> reason?
>>>
>>> Haven't yet come to the part that explains just why we needed another
>>> language.
>>>
>>> bill
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Well, there are about 10,000 computer languages around. I suppose 
>> 99,9% will be script languages. Why we need them? I don't know, a few 
>> dozen should be enough I think.
>
> Well, while I don't agree that there are that many, I do agree with
> the sentiment.  I know several dozen myself but haven't used more
> than a half dozen in years.
>
> bill
>

According to this website:

http://web.archive.org/web/20110220044217/http://hopl.murdoch.edu.au/

there are 8512 languages.

Still a trifle much.