Most satisfying programming language
2024/03/05
Back in 2017 I went to a paper arts event in Rochester. While there I picked up a copy of the State of the ILSSA Union Report (more on ILSSA in a moment). I set it aside for 7 years before I finally read it a few weeks ago.
By reading their report I learned of Impractical Labor in Service of the Speculative Arts (ILSSA). I'd recommend heading to their website if you want to learn more. But what stood out to me was its emphasis on how you do your work, not just the result of the work.
Part of their report was a survey that included questions such as "Do you have the OPPORTUNITY to develop NEW SKILLS?" and "Do you experience pressure toward ECONOMIC GROWTH?"
To some degree with software projects I feel pressure to choose the latest technology, or a programming language that's especially well-suited to a task. After reading ILSSA's report and Emily Larned's essay "The Work is the Thing," I felt inspired to re-think how I pursue personal projects.
I shouldn't feel ashamed to work in a way that may be inefficient if I get satisfaction from it. The choice of tools may be impractical, but the fulfillment from using them is valuable.
I did searches for "most satisfying programming language" and "most fulfilling programming language." I was hoping for thoughtful articles, but mostly the results were thoughtless, clickbait lists.
One of those articles referenced a Stackoverflow survey that should have been in the top search results. That survey from 2021 placed Clojure second in the list of "loved" languages. I dabbled in Clojure during the mid-2010s. I enjoyed it back then, but it was new to me—so, I wonder, did I enjoy it because it was enjoyable or because it was new?
Rust comes up in many articles. I've heard about Rust (it's tough not to), but I've never used it. In Stackoverflow's 2023 survey Rust is the most "admired" language and the sixth-most "desired." Clojure on the other hand was the fifth-most admired language, but it was very low on the desired list.
According to the survey, desired means you want to use the language, and admired means you want to continue using it. In that case, it appears many people are trying Rust and liking it. With Clojure, perhaps the hype has died down, but users are still enjoying it.
So, I have no answer on what programming language I should pursue as a means of fulfillment. Recently I finished reading Learning Perl, and then I used Perl and its Template::Toolkit module to build my static homepage. It does seem well-suited to this task, but it's certainly not a flashy choice. Though, Raku, formerly Perl 6, was the eighth-most admired language at 65%, compared to Clojure's 68%,
What's next after this project? I'm not sure. If I trust Stackoverflow's surveys, maybe it's finally time to check out Rust, or revisit Clojure.