On the Pitfalls and Traps of Programming Languages

Explore the unexpected challenges and quirks of real-world programming languages in this 29-minute Churchill CompSci Talk by Mariusz Różycki. Delve into the stark contrast between the idealized world of undergraduate studies and the practical realities of software development. Discover how language semantics, equality relations, and the "least surprises" principle often fall short in practice. Uncover the surprising truths about language creation, maintenance, and documentation while learning about common pitfalls and traps. From peculiar print outputs and tricky preprocessing to the intricacies of JavaScript's '+' operator and string incrementation, gain valuable insights into the complexities of various programming languages. Bring your towel and prepare for an enlightening journey through the often perplexing landscape of real-world programming.

Intro
A SMART QUOTE TO START OFF THE PRESENTATION
WHAT DOES THIS PRINT OUT? (2)
DIGRESSION: IN JAVA EVERYTHING IS AN OBJECT
WHAT DOES THIS PRINT OUT? (3)
TRICKY PREPROCESSING
MAIN IS USUALLY A FUNCTION
THE PROBLEM WITH RANDOMNESS
QUICKIE: TYPE OF NAN?
I HATE THIS SLIDE
+ OPERATOR IN JAVASCRIPT
WHAT KIND OF LANGUAGE WE ARE DEALING WITH
STRING INCREMENTATION IS A THING
CONCLUSIONS