Language evaluation criteria

Here’s a list of criteria that can be used to evaluate languages. In particular, these criteria can be used to evaluate programming and also query languages.

• Readability
  • Simplicity
  • Orthogonality
  • Data types
  • Syntax design
• Writability (all readability characteristics, plus)
  • Abstraction
  • Expressivity
• Reliability (all writability characteristics, plus)
  • Type checking
  • Exception handling
  • Restricted aliasing
• Cost
  • Simplicity
  • Orthogonality
  • Cost of compilation
  • Cost of execution
  • Maintainability

References #

• Language Evaluation Criteria— Readability
• Programming Language Evaluation Criteria Part 1: Readability
• Programming Language Evaluation Criteria Part 2: Writability, Reliability, Cost
• Testing the principle of orthogonality in language design
• Orthogonality in Computer Programming