Language is a Tool

Is it right to make fun of a programming language? I mean, "it's just a tool". That's what everyone says. You don't mock a hammer for not being a screwdriver (although screwdrivers can be usable hammers ;)

Of course, language is more than a tool.

It is also a means of communication, which means that you've got multiple entities involved.

The main communication is from the programmer to the computer. That means:

• The programmer needs to be able to express himself efficiently (in a matter which makes sense to him, in a reasonable amount of time)


• The computer needs to be able to understand (computers are really bad at English! and not just because English is a terrible language for specifications!)

But, programmers also communicate with one another. If I write all my programs in Tcl, not many other programmers can read them. That's a big part of the "more than a tool". If someone develops the "super monkey hammer" that can build a house in a day, but only super-monkey-hammer technicians can change the light bulbs; people are going to be frustrated.