Small but Mighty: Exploring the Beauty of Concise Programming Languages
2025-06-06
This article explores the trade-off between the size and expressiveness of programming languages. The author argues that smaller languages like assembly are limited in expressiveness, while languages like Forth, Lisp, and Tcl achieve powerful expressiveness with concise syntax. Lua is highlighted as a small and easy-to-learn language due to its tiny core (just 27 pages!). The impact of standard libraries on perceived language size is discussed, with Ramda's extensive functionality used as an example of increased learning curve. Ultimately, the author champions the elegance and joy of small languages, suggesting that simplicity can sometimes trump expressiveness.
Development
conciseness