Quite interesting comments in this post at Sam Ruby’ blog. I find programming languages a fascinating subject. Ever since I started programming, I have always been interested in learning new languages, although I use just a few regularly. What I like most is discovering the unique features in each language I learn.

The way different languages deal with the same problems is a source of endless enjoyment to me. One of the sites I visit regularly is the 99 bottles of beer, which collects programs that print the song lyrics in 454 programming languages. Browsing the site, you can see the manner each programmer tackles the task, and how each language is used to accomplish it.

In their comments on the post, Mark Pilgrim and Dave Winer talk about the way some programming languages fit their brains better than others. I guess that happens with every single programmer. Each person approaches problems in a unique way, and there’s always a language that works just that way. Smalltalk is that language to me. When I first learned it syntax and semantics, I fell in love with its simplicity. The common pattern behind its constructs was exactly what I always sought in a language. Although I don’t have much opportunities to use it, Smalltalk is the language that made the strongest impression in me, changing the way I saw many things in programming. I still hope to use it more regularly in the future.

Meanwhile, I will keep learning new languages.