Comparison of multi-paradigm programming languages

A multiparadigm programming language is a programming language that supports more than one programming paradigm. As Leda designer Tim Budd holds it: The idea of a multiparadigm language is to provide a framework in which programmers can work in a variety of styles, freely intermixing constructs from different paradigms. The design goal of such languages is to allow programmers to use the best tool for a job, admitting that no one paradigm solves all problems in the easiest or most efficient way.

An example is Oz, which has subsets that are a logic language (Oz descends from logic programming), a functional language, an object-oriented language, a dataflow concurrent language, and more. Oz was designed over a ten-year period to combine in a harmonious way concepts that are traditionally associated with different programming paradigms.

Multiparadigm languages

Languages can be grouped by the number and types of paradigms supported.

Two paradigms

dataflow, visual
- LabVIEW ^{[citation needed]}
functional, imperative
- APL ^{[citation needed]}
functional, logic
- ALF ^{[citation needed]}
functional, object-oriented (class-based)
- Dylan ^{[citation needed]}
- Sather ^{[citation needed]}
functional, visual
- Spreadsheets ^{[citation needed]}
imperative, object-oriented (class-based)
- AmigaE ^{[citation needed]}
- PHP^[1]^[2]
- Simula ^{[citation needed]}
object-oriented (class-based), (prototype-based)
- Metaobject protocols ^{[citation needed]}
object-oriented (class-based), visual
- Lava ^{[citation needed]}

Three paradigms

concurrent, dataflow, functional
- SISAL ^{[citation needed]}
concurrent, functional, distributed
- Erlang ^{[citation needed]}
concurrent, functional, logic
- Curry ^{[citation needed]}
concurrent, imperative, object-oriented (class-based)
- ChucK ^{[citation needed]}
- Java ^[3]
dataflow, object-oriented (class-based), visual
- Prograph ^{[citation needed]}
functional, imperative, logic
- Poplog ^{[citation needed]}
functional, imperative, object-oriented (class-based)
- BETA ^{[citation needed]}
- Common Lisp ^{[citation needed]}
- J ^{[citation needed]}
- Perl ^{[citation needed]}
- Pliant ^{[citation needed]}
- Python ^[4]
- Tcl with itcl or XOTcl extensions ^{[citation needed]}
functional, imperative, object-oriented (prototype-based)
- ECMAScript ^{[citation needed]}
  - ActionScript ^{[citation needed]}
  - DMDScript ^{[citation needed]}
  - E4X ^{[citation needed]}
  - JavaScript ^[5]^[6]
  - JScript ^{[citation needed]}
- Lua ^{[citation needed]}
- Tcl with Snit extension ^{[citation needed]}
generic (template metaprogramming), imperative, object-oriented (class-based)
- C++ ^{[citation needed]}
- D ^{[citation needed]}

Four paradigms

functional, generic (template metaprogramming), imperative, object-oriented (class-based)
- Objective Caml ^{[citation needed]}
functional, imperative, concurrent (Actor model), object-oriented (prototype-based)
- Io ^{[citation needed]}
functional, imperative, concurrent, object-oriented (prototype-based)
- Ruby ^{[citation needed]}
functional, imperative, logic, object-oriented (class-based)
- Leda ^{[citation needed]}
functional, imperative, object-oriented (prototype-based), dialected
- REBOL ^{[citation needed]}
imperative, logic, object-oriented (class-based), rule-based
- ROOP ^{[citation needed]}
functional, imperative, pipeline, object-oriented (class-based)
- Windows PowerShell ^{[citation needed]}

Five paradigms

concurrent (rendezvous and monitor-like based), distributed, generic, imperative, object-oriented (class-based)
- Ada^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10]^[11]

Eight paradigms

concurrent, constraint, dataflow, distributed, functional (evaluation: eager, lazy), imperative, logic, object-oriented (class-based)
- Oz ^{[citation needed]}
  - Mozart Programming System (a multiplatform Oz)

References

^ PHP Manual, Chapter 17. Functions
^ PHP Manual, Chapter 19. Classes and Objects (PHP 5)
^ Philippsen, Michael (1995). "Imperative Concurrent Object-Oriented Languages".
^ http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/library/l-prog.html
^ The Little JavaScripter demonstrates fundamental commonality with Scheme, a functional language.
^ Object Oriented Programming in JavaScript gives an overview of object-oriented programming techniques in JavaScript.
^ Ada Reference Manual, ISO/IEC 8652:2005(E) Ed. 3, Section 9: Tasks and Synchronization
^ Ada Reference Manual, ISO/IEC 8652:2005(E) Ed. 3 Annex E: Distributed Systems
^ Ada Reference Manual, ISO/IEC 8652:2005(E) Ed. 3, Section 12: Generic Units
^ Ada Reference Manual, ISO/IEC 8652:2005(E) Ed. 3, Section 6: Subprograms
^ Ada Reference Manual, ISO/IEC 8652:2005(E) Ed. 3, 3.9 Tagged Types and Type Extensions

Multiparadigm Design for C++, by Jim Coplien, 1998.
Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming, by Peter Van Roy and Seif Haridi, 2004.

[1] PHP Manual, Chapter 17. Functions

[2] PHP Manual, Chapter 19. Classes and Objects (PHP 5)

[iooc-3] Philippsen, Michael (1995). "Imperative Concurrent Object-Oriented Languages".

[4] ttp://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/library/l-prog.html

[5] The Little JavaScripter demonstrates fundamental commonality with Scheme, a functional language.

[6] Object Oriented Programming in JavaScript gives an overview of object-oriented programming techniques in JavaScript.

[7] Ada Reference Manual, ISO/IEC 8652:2005(E) Ed. 3, Section 9: Tasks and Synchronization

[8] Ada Reference Manual, ISO/IEC 8652:2005(E) Ed. 3 Annex E: Distributed Systems

[9] Ada Reference Manual, ISO/IEC 8652:2005(E) Ed. 3, Section 12: Generic Units

[10] Ada Reference Manual, ISO/IEC 8652:2005(E) Ed. 3, Section 6: Subprograms

[11] Ada Reference Manual, ISO/IEC 8652:2005(E) Ed. 3, 3.9 Tagged Types and Type Extensions

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