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Go-go Google Gopher... Go! Google invents its own programming language
Citing difficulties with existing languages and arbitrary restrictions that prevent them from making the Google services as good as they could be... they did the only really sensible thing they could do: they made their own superior language. To put it into simple terms: imagine trying to communicate with grunts and squeals. That's how Google feels with today's languages, and why they've made their own one. It's why we speak English today, rather than Tarzan Talk.
And in true Google style, they've done it right. Go is fast. It's secure. They even go as far as to call it 'fun' on their homepage!
I don't want to bore you with specifications -- they're all there on their site if you're a developer and want to get going immediately (it's open source, of course!) -- but I will tell you that this is big, big news.
We haven't seen a new systems-oriented language for over a decade. Technology has moved on a lot. Heck, Google themselves have pushed the requirements of computer systems. When you're trying to build a system that scales to hundreds of thousands -- or millions -- of servers, it's no surprise that existing languages don't quite hit the spot.
Say they're only squeezing 40% of the max theoretical output from their server farm. If Go could push that utilization up to 60 or 70%... imagine the gains! For them, for us! This is even good news for the environment!
Of course, it's free to download and use, and there are tutorials that are very easy to get started with. There's even a little video showcasing just how fast it is, after the break.
Comments
13
Subscribe to commentsZeRoNov 11th 2009 10:06AM
how i wish, i had free time to enjoy it. Thanks for the news, perhaps when i have free time, I'll take a look at it.
Sebastian AnthonyNov 11th 2009 10:31AM
You and me both, brother! I'm a Python kiddie myself, and I love it... but I wish I had a little time to get my teeth stuck into this one as well!
VashNov 11th 2009 9:46PM
Python is VERY FUN, but whether Go is better remains to be seen. If I didn't have a C++ project on my belt at the moment I would try it right now.
btdownNov 11th 2009 12:19PM
This is bullshit...looks just like c++. When is someone going to make a language easy enough for normal people to learn it and be productive? Fuck OOP.
MarkyB86Nov 11th 2009 2:39PM
Fuckin' right.
OOP pisses me off!
Mike SmithNov 11th 2009 5:40PM
Right, and why doesn't someone come up with a way to simplify bridge design so that anyone can design a bridge? There are simpler systems for building things, like LEGO and Meccano, but you wouldn't build a bridge out of those, would you?
Programming, serious programming anyway, is hard. A new programming language isn't going to change that. For the simple stuff, there are simpler scripting languages. For the complex stuff, the languages involved are necessarily going to be more complex.
Sebastian AnthonyNov 11th 2009 5:41PM
I think there are plenty of languages that work just fine without using object-orientation...!
Sebastian AnthonyNov 11th 2009 5:42PM
Mike -- I don't think the analogy is accurate.
It's more like... you CAN build a bridge from bricks, but if you can build it from tensile steel, why not? You can make it with less materials, quicker and thus cheaper...!
But yes, there's obviously the 'right' tool for most applications. This is obviously a systems-based language... for building systems!
HALNov 12th 2009 2:52AM
Besides looking like C++ this is actually nothing like C++. This is not even traditional OOP like Java, C#, or C++, there's no type hierarchy!
Sebastian AnthonyNov 12th 2009 7:03AM
Nice nickname, HAL.
Suitable...
dudericiousNov 12th 2009 6:51AM
1000 lines of code compile in under a second?
I should fucking hope so.
Morons.
Sebastian AnthonyNov 12th 2009 7:02AM
The second test was a little more impressive...!
Paul Carter Jr.Nov 12th 2009 1:03PM
Programming languages should have no restrictions, truly. In terms of making it simple? Can anyone make Calculus any simpler? It is what it is. How much can you water down something before it looses it's potency?
Google creating or adding or modifying existing languages into a new one is not surprising to me. It was only a matter of time and what is surprising that it took them this long. (smile) I think this was in the making for years, not yesterday.
This is an exciting day but the best is yet to some, which is even more exciting!!