Is language important to a programmer?

Question

Programming languages

I heard a lot of different opinions, but still, I want to get closer to the truth. It is clear that PL is just a means of transferring an algorithm from a person to a computer. There are a lot of JAPs and they are quite diverse. Different paradigms, styles, syntaxes are used. It is customary to solve some problems on certain PLs. They say that programming is not knowledge of programming language. It follows from this that a good and experienced C# programmer will be able to switch to JS in a short time and write a quality project on it? Does it follow from this that it is stupid to specialize in one PL?
Thank you!

Answer 1

in a short time he will be able to go, but to write a high-quality project is definitely not.
Each PL has its own nuances of the operation of the PL itself, its own libraries (frameworks), and its own architectural solutions. "Short terms" is, of course, a figurative comparison

Answer 2

Not quite, but there is some truth. You need to focus on the tasks that you will solve using the language. Choosing a language without knowing the task is like choosing a MacBook without knowing what kind of garden you will dig. Well, you obviously won’t dig with a MacBook)
At the beginning of the journey , it’s hard to determine what task you will solve. To do this, get acquainted with the kitchen. If you want to make mobile applications - this is one stack of languages, API - the choice is even greater.
Try to figure out what exactly you want to do . This area will be your future task(s). When the task is set, you will not notice how to learn a couple of three languages.

Answer 3

Welcome to the Philosophical Questions section of the Toaster!
Demand creates supply.
A problem gives rise to a solution.
To implement the solution, the technology and/or tool (IT) is selected that is most effective in given market conditions. Everything depends on the tasks.
PS PL is like a "tool" that can be mastered by reading the "instructions for use" (documentation).

Answer 4

Professionalism is, on the one hand, an understanding of programming as such, regardless of the language. On the other hand, it is a sense of the library, an understanding of the code drawing in a particular language, an understanding of what is under the hood.
This means: a C# programmer will be a little vague about which libraries to execute a JS task on, and how these libraries work. He will speak JS like C # - it will turn out something like “feel myself”, which, according to legend, means “masturbate”. But this is all, admittedly, a matter of experience. You need to be familiar, but you don't need to go deep.

Answer 5

No, a C# programmer will not be able to switch to JavaScript in a short time and write a good project. Because, firstly, he does not know the tools, namely what is webpack, React (or Vue, Angular), Redux (GraphQL), etc. Secondly, he will start writing JavaScript like C#, without understanding that you can, for example, connect Ramda and write in a functional style.
A competent programmer will be able to evaluate all this, select the necessary and cut off the excess. But not in the short term.
Yes, it is better to know one programming language well and have an idea about related areas. It is possible to know several languages ​​well, but it is much more difficult. It is necessary to start all the same with one, without going in cycles, however, in its thorough study.
Practice is the main criterion of truth. In programming especially. I want to take a break from C #, I need to write something in JavaScript, it will not be superfluous.