Choosing a Language

Choosing a Language

Since JISA can be used in a multitude of different languages, it can be quite hard to pick which one to use!

This page will hopefully serve to help you decide out of the three main "target" languages:

• Java
• Kotlin
• Python

Language Overview

Out of the three target languages, Kotlin and Python appear quite similar, with some minor (but key) differences. On the other hand, Java stands out as the more traditional C/C++ style language.

Here's a quite preview of what a simple "Hello World!" application looks like in each:

Java

public class Main {

  public static void main(String[] args) {

    System.out.println("Hello World!");

    int myVariable = 15;

    System.out.printf("My number is %d\n", myVariable);

  }

}

Kotlin

fun main() {

  println("Hello World!")

  var myVariable = 15

  println("My number is $myVariable")

}

Python

print("Hello World!")

myVariable = 15

print("My number is %d" % myVariable)

As a general overview:

• If you are used to traditional languages like C/C++, then you will want to use Java
• If you are looking to extend the JISA library itself you MUST use Java (for my sanity if nothing else).
• If you are used to more modern-style languages (like Python), you want Kotlin.
• You probably only want Python if you're already very used to it since it's more of a pain to set-up for using JISA than Kotlin (and comes with a raft of draw-backs compared to Kotlin despite being very similar).
• Stay away from Python if you're writing a large program. It works well for quick "hack-it-together" type scripts or as an interactive environment, but not for large projects. For big projects use Java or Kotlin.
• If I catch you writing a JISA program in MATLAB... let's just say make sure that doesn't happen.

Java

Attribute	Pros	Cons
Verbose	Makes it easier to follow the logic of a program	Makes your code longer to write
Statically Typed	Makes it easy to spot where a variable is first declared and what type it is, also faster to run	Extra words to write and think about
Traditional Syntax	Tried and tested, very standard and similar to other languages, robust	Can look scary since it looks like C++
Input/Output Streams	Gives more precise control over terminal input and output	Slightly more complex to use
Strong Object Orientation	Forces you into good practices, leads to well organised code	Can seem a bit much for simpler programs
Compiled	Runs fast	Code needs to be compiled when changed

Kotlin

Attribute	Pros	Cons
Concise	Makes it quicker to write programs	Can make it harder to follow the logic of your code
Static Inferred Typing	Fast to run, still easy to spot declarations but removes need to remember type names	Harder to tell which variable is of what type
Simplified Traditional Syntax	Very standard and similar to other tried and tested languages but more human readable than most	None really, unless you are conditioned to expect Python syntax
Input/Output Methods	Far simpler to use terminal input/output than in Java	Less control and precision
Fair Object Orientation	Forces you into good practices, leads to well organised code but doesn't require your main method to be inside a class	None really
Compiled or Interpreted	Your choice, you can compile to run fast or write Kotlin scripts that run in an interpreter	None really, you can choose whetever best suits your needs

Python

Attribute	Pros	Cons
Concise	Makes it quicker to write programs	Can make it harder to follow the logic of your code
Dynamically Typed	No need to explicitly declare variables	Hard to see where variables are first declared, what type they are and gives rist to scoping issues
Reinvented Syntax	Designed to be human readable, commonly used in scientific community	Completely different from almost all other languages, sacrifices functionality, can become messy easily
Input/Output Methods	Far simpler to use terminal input/output than in Java	Less control and precision
Weak Object Orientation	Lets you do it your way(tm)	Missing some very useful OO features, often leads to huge messes of code without proper discipline
Interpreted	No compilation needed, allows straight-forward interactive shell usage	Slow and memory-hungry execution, up to roughly 30x slower than the likes of Java and C++