Hello everyone, I am looking for a resource that compares popular programming languages from a *consumer's* perspective. Everything I found on the topic at Wikipedia seemed to be geared more toward the programmer's perspective. What I'm really looking for is a list of the types of applications that each programming language is best at creating. So, if a consumer had a great idea for a piece of software, how would they find out which programming language should be used to create it? Thanks!
paulgraham.com has a series of essays you would probably enjoy. I know he did one on evaluating the threat to your startup of other companies by the kind of programmers they hire. I remember that if they were hiring Oracle programmers they would never be a threat, but can't find the exact article.
Erm, I am not sure a consumer should even care about what the programming language is! The chances are that if a consumer had an idea for a piece of software, they are thinking about a piece of software that runs in Windows (or maybe Mac or Linux!) with buttons and menus and toolbars and all that stuff. If this is the case then pretty much any general purpose language is as good as any other. Its only for very specialised cases where a specific language might be more useful than another, e.g. where you need hardcore maths for predicting the weather, or for running on a satellite or something like that. Anyway, knowing the ins and outs of the technicalities and relative proficiencies of specific programming languages versus another is not something the average non-professional/in-depth hobbyist is likely to even understand!