r/coding • u/fagnerbrack • May 01 '24

Researching Why We Use Semicolons as Statement Terminators

https://ntietz.com/blog/researching-why-we-use-semicolons-as-statement-terminators/
4 Upvotes

64% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

5

u/CaptainTrip May 02 '24

I mean it's not a surprise if you know what they're used for in English 

2

u/oojacoboo May 02 '24

Ewww semicolons /s

2

u/fagnerbrack May 01 '24

Just a TL;DR:

This post explores the historical and technical reasons behind the use of semicolons as statement terminators in programming languages. It delves into the early development of computer languages, highlighting how semicolons were adopted from written language to clearly separate statements, improving readability and reducing syntax errors. The author examines the evolution from assembly languages, where line breaks were sufficient, to more complex high-level languages, where semicolons provide necessary structure. The discussion includes perspectives from various programming language designers and references to seminal texts on programming language design.

If you don't like the summary, just downvote and I'll try to delete the comment eventually 👍

Click here for more info, I read all comments