Conclusion 🏁#
The conclusions are based on the following results. Clearly, it’s a personal opinion shaped by my education and experiences. I quickly started coding at 10 with BASIC (on DOS), then moved on to learn Visual Basic 6, and after that, I developed a long-lasting affection for Delphi from Borland and Embarcadero. Subsequently, I pursued studies in physics and chemistry at university. Following that, I learned Python, C++, and most recently, ASM, purely for enjoyment.
C# and Dotnet framework 📦#
👍 Advantages#
Cross-platform: code can easily be ported to Linux with no changes required
Great optimization: comparable in speed to
C++Not verbose: language syntax is clear and straightforward
Simplified parallel computing
Abundant scientific functions included in .NET Core, eliminating the need to reinvent the wheel
Built-in garbage collector
Nice debugger, profiler…
👎 Disadvantages#
Requires installation of the .NET Core runtime
Limited memory control
Controlled by Microsoft; the product roadmap is unpredictable and subject to frequent changes. In my opinion, it’s more suitable for developers rather than scientists.
Steep learning curve
Size of the runtime + “binaries”
Limited support for GPU computing (perhaps through libraries like ILGPU?)
Not ideal for prototyping due to strong typing
✅ Suitable Use Cases#
When integrating with the entire .NET ecosystem without needing to switch to other platforms
For developers aiming to quickly build cross-platform desktop applications
❌ Less Suitable Use Cases#
In the field of scientific computing
For machine learning applications
JavaScript 🌐#
👍 Advantages#
Good performance compared to Python
Compatible with all web browsers
Numerous visualization libraries and frameworks
Enables full-stack development with Node.js
Easy to learn and use
Suitable for rapid prototyping due to its dynamic typing
Debugging is okay
👎 Disadvantages#
While generally faster than interpreted languages like Python, JavaScript’s performance lags behind that of compiled languages.
Limited precision in floating-point numbers due to IEEE 754 double precision, which can cause problems in scientific computations.
Challenges with memory management
Size of the runtime + script
Scarcity of scientific libraries when compared to other languages
Managing asynchrony can be complex for beginners, and it may not be intuitive for scientists.
Overwhelming number of frameworks that are constantly being released
✅ Ideal Use Cases#
Excellent for creating web interfaces (front only)
❌ Less Ideal Use Cases#
Not the best choice for desktop applications, memory hungry
Not recommended for applications where performance is a critical concern
The scientific field, due to the lack of specialized libraries and precision issues
Machine learning applications, which often require more specialized tools and libraries
ASM 🧮#
👍 Advantages#
Encourages knowledge of computer architecture, which is beneficial for learning
Results in a small program footprint
Presents a healthy challenge to developers
No abstraction layers: interaction with hardware is direct and explicit
Opportunities for hardware-specific optimization
Seamless interaction with C and C++ (a significant plus)
👎 Disadvantages#
Inherently high complexity
Optimization is hard (my c++ program is faster)
Debugging can be difficult and tedious
Not inherently portable; requires adaptation for different platforms (different hardware, operating systems)
Lengthy development time
Lack of scientific libraries available
Highly prone to errors due to the low-level nature of the language (totally unsafe)
Often involves reinventing the wheel for many common functionalities
✅ Ideal Use Cases#
Suitable for embedded device development
When high-performance is critical for specific sections of code that need to be directly integrated with C/C++ binaries
❌ Less Ideal Use Cases#
Not practical for developing a modern application
Prototyping in assembly language (ASM) is highly impractical
Ill-suited for applications requiring user interaction
C++ 🧩#
👍 Advantages#
Great performance
Good portability
Mature ecosystem with a lot of scientific library
You handle memory
Template Metaprogramming and Multi-Paradigm Language
Could use CUDA to GPU calculation
Small size
👎 Disadvantages#
A bit complex if you want to create complex code
Not very intuitive, but simpler than JavaScript for me
A bit verbose
More Error Prone with Memory Management by user
A bit unsafe
✅ Ideal Use Cases#
High performance app (executable and libraries)
Small size of the executable
Small portions of code to speed up section in Python
Embedded device development
Big desktop app
❌ Less Ideal Use Cases (for me)#
Prototyping
WebApp
Python 🐍#
👍 Advantages#
Extremely user-friendly
Rapid prototyping capabilities
Effortless direct conversion to native code with
CythonA wealth of high-quality libraries (e.g., NumPy, Pandas, PyTorch)
Straightforward integration with C and C++, offering extensive compatibility
Strong community support
Cross-platform compatibility
Simplified data visualization
Ease of performing GPU calculations
Performance boost with PyPy without extra work
👎 Disadvantages#
Generally slower performance, with computationally intensive tasks often handled by packages written in C/C++
The Global Interpreter Lock (GIL) can be a bottleneck; however, it can be circumvented using
Cythonor interfacing with C/C++Really slow (for loop) without native packages
Higher memory consumption compared to some other languages
Indentation-based syntax may be unfamiliar to those new to Python
Not tailored for mobile computing
Larger footprint due to the combined size of Python, scripts, and virtual environments
Managing dependencies can be complicated when distributing applications
✅ Ideal Use Cases#
Quick and efficient prototyping
Research in the scientific field, especially when utilizing extensions in C/C++ and Cython
Machine Learning projects, particularly with frameworks that have CUDA integration like PyTorch
Backend development for web applications
Creating small graphical user interface (GUI) applications
❌ Less Ideal Use Cases#
Building standalone heavyweight desktop applications