Last July google engineer Chandler Carruth introduced a new programming language in Toronto called Coal. An experimental general-purpose language. BUT alternative to the popular C++as many say. did it in CppNortha conference that brings software developers together to talk specifically about C++, one of the most popular and worthy programming languages heir C.
C++ was created by a Dane Bjorn Stroustrup. He started in 1979 with the intention of improving the C language and making it faster and more convenient for his needs while working on it. Bell Labs AT&T in tasks related to UNIX. The result was published in 1985. In the same year, the first edition of the book was published. C++ programming language, as well as a commercial implementation of C++. In 1989, the second version was released. And in 1998, ISO approved its first standardization.
Since then, C++ has always been, above or below, one of the most widely used programming languages in the world. In the latest TIOBE rankings, it was ranked 4th (September 2022), the same position as the year before. below Python, S D Java. And why is he so popular? Speed, performance and over 40 years of experience. We find C++ in IoT devices, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Unreal Engine, and products like Adobe. It is also present on Spotify, YouTube, Amazon, Windows, Office, Google, Twitter or MySQL. The list is endless.
Google and its programming languages
This is not the first time Google has announced its own programming language. In his daily work he works with languages such as JavaScript, Java, Python or PHP, but at the same time he created his own programming languages or tried to make other languages protagonists. The most famous cases Kotlinjava alternative, Golanguage inspired by C and dart, an attempt to eclipse JavaScript. The first is in the 34th position of the most popular languages according to TIOBE. For its part, Go boasts that it is already in the 12th position of this index. And Dart is ahead of Kotlin, in 32nd place.
support Kotlin arises from the fact that Google needs to stop depending on Java. Android depends a lot on this very popular language, both in your code and applications created for this platform. Thanks to its capabilities, developers from all over the world have decided to start working in the world of Android applications. But legally, Google should ditch Java because it belongs to the oracle. Which made the two companies meet in court.
However, the most recent episode of this confrontation, in April 2021, allows Google to continue to use Java in Android code, as well as in its own and third-party applications. Which partially stopped Kotlin support, which was created by JetBrains but it had google as a backer. However, the development tool android studio It allows you to work with both Java and Kotlin.
In its turn, Go (before golang) is Google’s first attempt at eclipsing C++. And although it has achieved popularity, it is still far from the lists of the most popular languages. Creators Go It’s Rob Pike, Ken Thomson, and Robert Grisemer who created this new language at the request of Google. According to the Internet giant, it is designed to create “simple, reliable and efficient software”.
When dart, a programming language created by Google and announced in 2011 as a more modern alternative to end JavaScript, hasn’t quite caught on. Or rather, he had better rivals such as TypescriptMicrosoft’s proposal, which succeeded face to face vs javascript. And the one on which the popularity lists are already ahead. So, Dart is still there, but doesn’t reach his goal.
Why is Google launching Carbon?
According to his defenders, Go compiles faster than C++, reduces bugs and dependencies, and better manages memory usage. But it’s not easy to deal with a programming language that’s been around for over 40 years and backed by big names like Microsoft, Meta (formerly Facebook) or NASA itself. And as I mentioned before, google uses it in their main products such as the Google search engine, YouTube or the Google Chrome browser.
Carbon was announced in July 2022. But the 1.0 Carbon version won’t be available until 2024 or 2025. So for now there is Go to work with C++. But the idea is that there will be a transition in the future. In order to convince the developers, Google used a good technique as examples. Typescript, from Microsoft, as an improved alternative to JavaScript. Or success Quickfrom Apple as an alternative language to Objective C, the language that has been used for years to develop software for the Apple ecosystem.
So if C has been enhanced with C++, Google wants to do the same with Carbon. The question is why? One of the arguments is that Syntax C and C++ it’s too confusing. Which requires a pre-learning period. and what generates huge number of lines of code this could be reduced with simpler languages. Another argument is that C++ development tools could be simpler. While there are solutions like Microsoft VisualStudio where Microsoft solved this problem is a proprietary tool.
A future yet to be seen
To combat C++, Google’s suggestion, Coal, provides compatibility with current C++ code, easier code development, and faster migration. All this with constant bows rust, a programming language that appeared in 2010 under the MIT and Apache license and managed by its own foundation. Exactly, rust is the leading alternative in the C++ race. And the fact is that in recent years it has been adopted by companies such as Microsoft, Meta (formerly Facebook), Amazon or Google itself.
What Coal Achievement of the goal will depend on many factors. Google’s betting on its own or third-party programming languages did not end well. And it’s still under development. So everything we say about this new language is more theory than something tangible, as is already the case with rust. Will Google learn from its past mistakes? It is clear that they will developer communities who has the last word. So we’ll have to wait for language rankings in the next few years.
Source: Hiper Textual
