Language-Oriented Programming: The Next Programming Paradigm

Ideally, being a programmer means I can do anything on a computer. I have complete freedom, complete control. But in reality, programmers today have very It is time to begin the next technology revolution in software development, and the shape of this revolution is becoming more and more clear. The next programming paradigm is nearly upon us. It is not yet fully formed—different parts have different names: Intentional programming, MDA, generative programming, etc. I suggest uniting all of these new approaches under one name, ‘language-oriented programming’, and this article explains the main principles of this new programming paradigm. Today’s mainstream approach to programming has some crucial built-in assumptions which hold us back like chains around our necks, though most programmers don’t realize this. With all the progress made so far in programming, we are still in the Stone Age. We’ve got our trusty stone axe (object-oriented programming), which serves us well, but tends to chip and crack when used against the hardest problems. To advance beyond stone, we must tame fire. Only then can we forge new tools and spark a new age of invention and an explosion of new technologies. I’m talking about the limitations of programming which force the programmer to think like the computer rather than having the computer think more like the programmer. These are serious, deeply-ingrained limitations which will take a lot of effort to overcome. I’m not being pretentious when I say that this will be the next big paradigm shift in programming. We will need to completely redefine the way we write programs. In this article, I present my view and my current work toward Language Oriented Programming (LOP). First I will show what is wrong with mainstream programming today, then I’ll explain the concept of LOP by using the example of my existing implementation, the Meta Programming System (MPS). This article is intended to give you a bird’s-eye-view of LOP, to spark interest in the idea, and hopefully to generate feedback and discussion.