The Factors Influencing Choice Of Programming Language

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

In this task, I will suggest a programming language to a client who wants to build an interactive website. This website must work in all web browsers and allows multiple users to use at same time. In this report, I will describe the main factors (cost, organization policy, availability, reliability, suitability and expandability), which anyone should consider when selecting a programming language and I will explain why I think it is important.

Costs

The most important factor to build or create an interactive website is the costs that involve to develop and to provide future updates (maintenance) to the website. To develop this project (interactive website) it is needed to identify the size of the project. Depending of the project size will be necessary to contract one or more programmers (team). Example: larger projects will be necessary to contract a team of programmers this can be costly. To maintain this project update, free of bugs and errors will be required to pay extra to a programmer to fix this over the years. However, few languages can cut development costs by making it easy and quick to develop and maintain. So, it is very important to obtain all information that is required to balance cost and performance to reach the best possible result of how much will cost the whole project.

Organization Policy

Some organizations (special large ones) have policies specifying which computer software and hardware is to be used. Also, insurances companies can have a big influence in organization policies. Example: only covering specifics computer hardware and software. Organization policies create standards (defaults) for the company and also make the company environment system consistently. This standard helps the organization to keep to competitors being equal in some characteristics and distinctive in others. Maintain the entire system environment consistently makes ease to plan for future maintenance, to install new features and updates in the company interactive website. So, it is very important to have organization policies to ensure standards and consistency in the company.

Availability

Here the organization should answer the questions below to know if the chosen programming language has the tools and features to deliver the interactive website and if the staff know how to handle the programming language or will be required to them be trained. The questions are:

Does the features of the selected programming language fill the client requirements? Because some programming language isn’t multi-platform and the interactive website may only work on Microsoft Internet Explorer.

This programming language has a good integrated development environment (IDE)? Having a good IDE will help to speed up production of the interactive website and will make more ease and reliable to future maintenance. Also, will facilitate to add new features to respond to new future requirements.

What tools and features the programming language has? Some tools and features can speed up and simplify production and can make the code more sustainable, easy to read and more effective.

Does the company already have employee trained with the chosen programming language? If no, will be worth the extra cost and time to trainee staff this new programming language?

It is a popular programming language? Because, if is not, will increase the payroll costs.

It is very important to answer this questions, to any organization be able to identify the availability to produce this new interactive website.

Reliability

Selected features are built into some programming languages to help them be less likely to crash and more consistent. Points to be covered before choose a programming language.

If the interactive website crashes, how difficult will be to fixed?

Will be necessary any extra software to help support the interactive website? If yes will be more costly and will require more staff experience to maintain.

The extra costs to use a high-priced programming language but more reliable will be worth?

It is very important to check the reliability of the chosen programming language very carefully to try to minimize problems like crashes in the future.

Suitability

Two points must be considered when deciding about the suitability of a programming language.

The programming language will work on all platforms (different web browsers) that are required?

The programming language has the appropriate features (will allow multiple users to use at same time) that are required?

Certain programming languages will only work or run with a particular software or hardware. They have tools and features that only support these specific types of applications. But other programming languages are multi-platform or platform independent, which will run on different platforms. So, it is very important to determine the suitability of the programming language before start the production of the interactive website, doing this will reduce mistakes and consequently costs.

Expandability

This interactive website should be written to handle a very large amount of users without crashing. Certain programming languages are better than others to dealing with this situation. They are better to scale or expand because they have many features that will help to support a large amount of users. So, to write a interactive website that is to be used by a very large amount of users and to work in all web browsers a programmer must consider this expandability factors;

Programming language should be stable.

Can be easily scale or expand.

Many features to handle a lot of users.

It is very important to verify if the chosen programming language will support expandability in a near future. Ensuring this will extend the useful live interactive website.