Revenge of the Nerds

Nowadays, when we talk about the different programming languages that exist in the market for different purposes is inevitable thinking in more than a couple of options that we like programmers can use to solve the same problem with the tools that the language in that moment is offering us. Now, like Paul Graham says in his article called "Revenge of the Nerds", is truth that some languages are better for certain problems than others, all of this because some of these languages can bring to us like programmers a set of many tools or exclusive characteristics that can handle the solution for the same problem in a better way, which can be a solution that is more direct, optimal and efficient than the others solutions that can be reached with the other languages. 

Supporting in a certain way the point of view that Graham express in his article, is amazing that in the industry world where the majority of the actual students of IT engineering careers want to work exist people called the "pointy-haired boss" that decide what is the best technology and language that a team can use to build a project when this person doesn't know how the world of technology is really changing outside and how all the tools that are available in the market work, because the decisions that this "boss" is taking is inspired in what is mainstream in the moment, not the best option in all the cases. 

The previous can make us think that Lisp, in this case, can be the optimal tool to reach the solutions for many problems that exist outside in a better way, being this an alternative that may be very difficult to see because this language (despite of having characteristics that are implemented in many popular languages like Java, Python or Pearl) doesn't enjoy the same level of popularity that other languages have, which makes it unable to be a realistic option for the "pointy-haired boss" because this language doesn't have the same support in the industry that the other options thanks to its "low level of popularity" and as a personal opinion, our obligation as new IT professionals should be break down this obstacles taking risks in the moment when we have to choose a tool to develop something as Graham says "using the most powerful language that exist for our problem and wait for our competitors' pointy-haired bosses to revert to the mean" doing with this action a positive change in the industry generating more ways in which the IT specialists can find and develop new tools and solutions that can be the future breakpoint in the industry.

What I learned here is that despite what the bosses say, when we are startups, always design the products to please the users, not them, because in the end, the users are the ones who are gonna buy them. Also always try to use more powerful languages to get shorter programs, and with that you will reduce the time it takes to write it. This also helps us when resolving too complicated programs.

If you're interested in reading this article, here is the link: Revenge of the Nerds.