Nested languages code smell
- by l0b0
Many projects combine languages, for example on the web with the ubiquitous SQL + server-side language + markup du jour + JavaScript + CSS mix (often in a single function). Bash and other shell code is mixed with Perl and Python on the server side, evaled and sometimes even passed through sed before execution. Many languages support runtime execution of arbitrary code strings, and in some it seems to be fairly common practice. In addition to advice about security and separation of concerns,
what other issues are there with this type of programming,
what can be done to minimize it, and
is it ever defensible (except in the "PHB on the shoulder" situation)?