Can static and dynamically typed languages be seen as different tools for different types of jobs?

Posted by Erik Reppen on Programmers See other posts from Programmers or by Erik Reppen
Published on 2011-08-11T16:52:38Z Indexed on 2012/12/19 17:13 UTC
Read the original article Hit count: 332

Filed under:

dynamic-typing

|

static-typing

Yes, similar questions have been asked but always with the aim of finding out 'which one is better.'

I'm asking because I came up as a dev primarily in JavaScript and don't really have any extensive experience writing in statically typed languages.

In spite of this I definitely see value in learning C for handling demanding operations at lower levels of code (which I assume has a lot to do with static vs dynamic at the compiler level), but what I'm trying to wrap my head around is whether there are specific project contexts (maybe certain types of dynamic data-intensive operations?) involving things other than performance where it makes a lot more sense to go with Java or C# vs. something like Python.

© Programmers or respective owner

Related posts about dynamic-typing

What functionality does dynamic typing allow?

as seen on Programmers - Search for 'Programmers'
I've been using python for a few days now and I think I understand the difference between dynamic and static typing. What I don't understand is under what circumstances it would be preferred. It is flexible and readable, but at the expense of more runtime checks and additional required unit testing… >>> More
What can I do with dynamic typing that I can not do with static typing

as seen on Programmers - Search for 'Programmers'
I've been using python for a few days now and I think I understand the difference between dynamic and static typing. What I don't understand is why it's useful. I keep hearing about its "flexibility" but it seems like it just moves a bunch of compile time checks to runtime, which means more unit tests… >>> More
SQLite3's dynamic typing

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
SQLite3 uses dynamic typing rather than static typing, in contrast to other flavors of SQL. The SQLite website reads: Most SQL database engines (every SQL database engine other than SQLite, as far as we know) uses static, rigid typing. With static typing, the datatype of a value is determined… >>> More
Structural Typing or Dynamic Typing?

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
I think that the future is for one or both of these type systems. But when would you use Structural over Dynamic and vice vera? >>> More
Are there any empirical studies on the effect of different languages on software quality?

as seen on Programmers - Search for 'Programmers'
The proponents of functional programming languages assert that functional programming makes it easier to reason about code. Those in favor of statically typed languages say that their compilers catch enough errors to make up for the additional complexity of type systems. But everything I read on these… >>> More

Related posts about static-typing

What can I do with dynamic typing that I can not do with static typing

as seen on Programmers - Search for 'Programmers'
I've been using python for a few days now and I think I understand the difference between dynamic and static typing. What I don't understand is why it's useful. I keep hearing about its "flexibility" but it seems like it just moves a bunch of compile time checks to runtime, which means more unit tests… >>> More
Simulating aspects of static-typing in a duck-typed language

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
In my current job I'm building a suite of Perl scripts that depend heavily on objects. (using Perl's bless() on a Hash to get as close to OO as possible) Now, for lack of a better way of putting this, most programmers at my company aren't very smart. Worse, they don't like reading documentation… >>> More
Static Typing and Writing a Simple Matrix Library

as seen on Stack Overflow - Search for 'Stack Overflow'
Aye it's been done a million times before, but damnit I want to do it again. I'm writing a simple Matrix Library for C++ with the intention of doing it right. I've come across something that's fairly obvious in mathematics, but not so obvious to a strongly typed system -- the fact that a 1x1 matrix… >>> More
What functionality does dynamic typing allow?

as seen on Programmers - Search for 'Programmers'
I've been using python for a few days now and I think I understand the difference between dynamic and static typing. What I don't understand is under what circumstances it would be preferred. It is flexible and readable, but at the expense of more runtime checks and additional required unit testing… >>> More
Are there any empirical studies on the effect of different languages on software quality?

as seen on Programmers - Search for 'Programmers'
The proponents of functional programming languages assert that functional programming makes it easier to reason about code. Those in favor of statically typed languages say that their compilers catch enough errors to make up for the additional complexity of type systems. But everything I read on these… >>> More