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One of the most difficult tasks in software development is probably "naming", naming classes, variables, and functions.
In contrast, when a new language is created, it is not easy to think of a good name.
There are usually several "formulas" for programming language name choices:
Abbreviation, used to describe what such a language does, such as Basic (Beginners' All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code), COBOL, TCL, LISP, etc.
Derived from existing languages, such as C++, C#, Conscript
Named after the master's name, such as Ada, Pascal, Turing
Sometimes the creators of the language are very creative when choosing their name. Today, let's talk about the story behind the names of 13 unusual programming languages.
1. Python
This is a language designed by the Dutchman Guido van Rossum in the late 1980s. It is very popular now. Van Rossum wants some "short, unique, somewhat mysterious" things when he is famous. He is famous in Britain. The super fan of the drama group Monty Python found inspiration and named the new language in Python.
In fact, the Monty Python troupe has a famous drama called Dead Parrot. There seems to be no news that he wants to use this name to name the new language.
2. Java
In the early 1990s, Sun pretended that the wave of smart home devices (such as interactive TV) was coming. They developed a language called Oak, but Sun’s lawyers determined that the trademark for the name was registered and they had to choose a new name. After a series of meetings, everyone thought a lot of names. After the lawyer's "filtering", only three Silk, DNA, and Java were left.
I don't know who is the first to recommend Java, but it's widely believed that Sun's engineers often go to a coffee shop: Pete’s Coffee, because Java is Indonesia's Java Island, which is rich in coffee.
3. Forth
Forth was an old language designed by Charles Moore in the 1960s. He worked at a home improvement company. The company provided it with an IBM 1130 microcomputer and a 2250 graphics card. The company wanted him to use a computer. Design the carpet!
Moore originally wanted to use FORTRAN, but this language can't use the 2250 graphics card. He had to invent a new language called Fourth, which means the fourth generation programming language. However, the 1130 computer required the file name to be no more than 5 characters, so he had to kick the u out and become Forth.
4. Perl
Known as the Swiss Army Knife, Perl is powerful and flexible, invented by Larry Wall in the 1980s. Larry wants a short, "connotative" name. He once considered his wife's name Gloria, and later chose pearl.
Sadly reminded that the language of the same name already exists, so he removed A and eventually became Perl!
Note that the original name was all lowercase, and it was not until the release of Perl4 in 1993 that it became capitalized.
5. Lua
Lua was invented by a Brazilian university and is based on two languages: DEL (Date Entry Language) and SOL (Simple Object Language). The new language combines the advantages of both languages.
Sol means the sun in Portuguese, and the new language is called the moon: Lua.
6. Smalltalk
Smalltalk is an object-oriented language, invented by the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center, which has had a huge impact on many latecomers such as Java, Python, and Ruby.
Alan Kay's team invented Smalltalk. As he said, the name was chosen to be relative to the "Indo-European theory of the gods." Any system in the theory would be given a name similar to the gods that they would never be able to reach, such as Zeus (same name as the god) and Sol (the same name as Raytheon). Instead, he chose a super bland name, Smalltalk, to prevent any excessive expectations.
7. Logo
This is a language developed by MIT for education. As a dialect of LISP, it can be used to teach a lot of programming concepts. It also affects many later programming languages dedicated to education, such as Scratch.
There is a small turtle in the Logo programming, which can be drawn according to the user's instructions.
The logo comes from logos, which means "words" or "thoughts" in Greek. This name is distinguished from those that are digital-oriented.
8. Ruby
Ruby by the Japanese Yukihiro Matsumoto(“Matz”)development, which is an object-oriented scripting language.
Like Perl , Matz wanted a jewel as the name of the language, through colleagues and after discussion, Coral, and Ruby was left in the final list. Matz chose Ruby, this is a great deep meaning, according to the European and American“birth stone Birthstone” in a tradition, each zodiac sign with birth stone. Wherein the 7-month birth stone is ruby, a 6 month is pearl, a corresponding language is Larry Wall invention of Perl is.
Matz not only want to let Ruby become a Perl's successor, but want to replace it.
9. Scheme
The last century 50s, the John McCathy in MIT invented Lisp, which is the earliest high-level programming language, and quickly turned into an Artificial Intelligence researchers favorite.
Over time, many LISP dialects were developed, two of which are Planner and Conniver in.
In 1975, MIT Gerald Jay Sussman and Guy Steele also opened a Lisp is a new dialect dialects really much!, he called it the Schemer, the Schemer used a Planner and Conniver of the naming conventions.
However, this language run in an MIT development called ITS operating system, its file name support in two parts, each part can only have 6 characters, so the Schemer had to shrink into the Scheme.
10. Scala
Scala is a young language, 2001, by Martin Odersky created, which is a support functional programming also supports Object-Oriented Programming Language. Is compiled later, it became the Java byte code in the JVM run before, Scala can be compiled into. NET intermediate code to execute it.
Choose Scala as the name for two reasons: first, it represents a SCAlable LAN this is a combination of two words, followed by in Italian represents stairs or a ladder, which is implicit in Scala to help you continue to rise, to become a better programming language.