Is Your Programming Language Better Than Mine?

When it's time to drop your argument

Let’s be honest — if you've spent any time on the internet as a developer, you've seen it happen. Someone drops a hot take on Twitter, Reddit, or a forum: "X language sucks! How is anyone still using this?"

You feel attacked. They don’t understand!

Don’t get me wrong. I like these debates. They get me laughing most of the times.

But here's the real question: why do these debates get so heated? Why do developers get so defensive when their language of choice is criticized?

My experience tells me it’s a little deeper than you might think.

It's more than just code — it's personal

Think about the last time you spent months, maybe even years, learning a new programming language. Did you just memorize the syntax and call it a day? Of course not. You dove deep, wrote projects, joined forums, followed thought leaders, and maybe even contributed to the community.

It became part of your identity as a developer.

So, what happens when someone comes along and casually dismisses the language you’ve invested so much in?

It feels personal. It feels like they’re downplaying not just the language but your entire journey. That’s why developers get defensive. It’s not just about the language; it’s about the time, effort, and pride they’ve poured into mastering it.

Can you judge a language by one feature?

Let's face it: no programming language is perfect.

But here's the problem — too often, people will trash a language based on a single thing. Maybe it’s slow in certain benchmarks. Maybe the syntax feels weird. But you’re missing the big picture.

A language is more than just performance or syntax quirks. It’s an entire ecosystem. It’s the tools, frameworks, libraries, the community, and — this one’s important—the ability to get real work done.

Take Ruby, for example. People criticize it for being "slow." But guess what? Entire multi-million-dollar companies run on Ruby because it helps them build fast, ship products, and make money. Isn’t that what matters most?

Rust is all about safety. Go is for distributed systems. PHP is about the lambos.

The real reason people don’t switch

Here’s a truth that might surprise you: people won't switch to something just because it's a little better.

If a new language offers only a 10% improvement, developers won’t drop what they’re doing and dive into it. Why? Because switching is expensive. Learning a new language, migrating projects, retraining teams — it’s a massive investment.

Imagine putting your career on hold, studying and building new projects for weeks and months, sometimes even getting a new job to finally switch to the new language just to find out that “yeah, syntax is better, but it also has these problems: …”

So, unless a new language offers a clear, undeniable, and game-changing advantage that works for my use case, there’s no reason to make the leap.

Do you want to convince people that your language is better? Show them the problem it solves. If it’s their problem, you might have a chance.

What are you really arguing about?

The next time you're tempted to bash a language, ask yourself: What am I really trying to say?

Are you comparing the language to one you've mastered? Are you dismissing it because you’ve only seen a narrow use case? Or are you just jumping into the debate because, well… it’s the internet and everyone has an opinion?

Before you throw shade at a language, remember: developers aren't just defending code — they’re defending the hours, projects, and careers they’ve built around it.

So, why should anyone care?

At the end of the day, a programming language is a tool, and developers should use the best tool for the job. But the reality is that no one can learn every language, framework, and package.

We should use whatever helps us get the job done. But if a language allows us to build, ship, and succeed in the real world, it has earned its place. It’s good enough.

So, instead of trying to convince someone that your language is better based on one feature or metric, take a step back. Acknowledge that it’s about more than just code.

Because here’s the thing: if it's just better, no one cares.

It has to be so much better that the time, energy, and cost of switching make sense.

And if you can't prove that? Maybe it's time to drop the argument.

- Josias (@josiasds)