The lowly seer

An idle musing

The work I do currently involves 5 languages - HTML / XHTML, CSS, PHP, SQL and Javascript. It's mildly annoying to have to frequently switch syntax, sometimes have several manuals open on the screen. A further niggle is having to fudge the CSS and javascript to fit the quirks of the major browsers, and if you're producing a cross-platform package (I'm not and don't intend to) to allow for different flavours of SQL.

Would it be possible to create a single language that could handle all 5 elements: page content markup, presentation, server-side processing, database access and client-side processing? The current mish-mash has arrived historically, the elements of the jigsaw either being from stuff that existed before the web, or to fill gaps (or in the case of HTML, it defined the web).

Obviously this is mere speculation unless any of the internet's great & good wishes to define such a language (no easy task) and persuade the entire industry to convert (even harder).

BTW how do you get to join the great & good? In any sphere of activity?

posted by Les the Spaceman @ 10:46 am