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  5. COBOL vs Hack vs MATLAB

COBOL vs Hack vs MATLAB

OverviewComparisonAlternatives

Overview

Hack
Hack
Stacks818
Followers169
Votes29
GitHub Stars18.5K
Forks3.1K
COBOL
COBOL
Stacks130
Followers147
Votes2
MATLAB
MATLAB
Stacks1.1K
Followers702
Votes37

COBOL vs Hack vs MATLAB: What are the differences?

Introduction

In this comparison study, we will highlight the key differences between COBOL, Hack, and MATLAB, focusing on specific aspects that differentiate these programming languages.

  1. Syntax: COBOL is known for its verbose syntax, requiring detailed coding structures and specific formatting rules. On the other hand, Hack offers a more streamlined syntax with less boilerplate code and stronger typing features. MATLAB, a high-level language optimized for numerical computations, has syntax resembling mathematical notation, making it easier for scientists and engineers to write complex algorithms.

  2. Purpose: COBOL is primarily used in legacy systems for business applications, particularly in the financial and governmental sectors. Hack, developed by Facebook, is designed for web development and dedicated to maintaining the security and efficiency of large-scale systems. MATLAB, commonly used in engineering and scientific research, provides comprehensive tools for data analysis, visualization, and numerical computation.

  3. Community Support: COBOL, being an older language, has a more limited community compared to Hack and MATLAB. Hack benefits from strong support within the tech industry, especially from Facebook's development team and open-source contributors. MATLAB boasts a robust community of researchers, educators, and industry professionals who actively contribute to its ecosystem through toolboxes, forums, and tutorials.

  4. Performance: COBOL is optimized for efficient batch processing of large volumes of data, making it suitable for mainframe applications. Hack offers improved performance through the use of static type checking and just-in-time compilation, enhancing the speed of web applications. MATLAB excels in computational performance due to its built-in linear algebra libraries and optimized algorithms for matrix operations.

  5. Learning Curve: COBOL's steep learning curve can be challenging for beginners due to its verbose syntax and complex data structures. Hack, with its modern features and strong typing system, is more approachable for developers familiar with languages like PHP or Java. MATLAB provides a user-friendly environment with interactive tools and a vast library of functions, making it easier for users to quickly prototype and test algorithms.

  6. Integration Capabilities: COBOL, often integrated with legacy systems, may face challenges when connecting with modern technologies, requiring additional middleware or data conversion processes. Hack, built for web development, offers seamless integration with existing PHP codebases and popular frameworks like Laravel. MATLAB supports integration with various programming languages and platforms, enabling users to incorporate algorithms and models into diverse applications.

In Summary, the key differences between COBOL, Hack, and MATLAB lie in their Syntax, Purpose, Community Support, Performance, Learning Curve, and Integration Capabilities.

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Detailed Comparison

Hack
Hack
COBOL
COBOL
MATLAB
MATLAB

Hack provides instantaneous type checking via a local server that watches the filesystem. It typically runs in less than 200 milliseconds, making it easy to integrate into your development workflow without introducing a noticeable delay.

COBOL was one of the first programming languages to be standardised: the first COBOL standard was issued by ANSI in 1968. COBOL is primarily used in business, finance, and administrative systems for companies and governments.

Using MATLAB, you can analyze data, develop algorithms, and create models and applications. The language, tools, and built-in math functions enable you to explore multiple approaches and reach a solution faster than with spreadsheets or traditional programming languages, such as C/C++ or Java.

Fast Development; Type Checking; Built for HHVM; Type Annotations; Generics; Lambdas
--
Statistics
GitHub Stars
18.5K
GitHub Stars
-
GitHub Stars
-
GitHub Forks
3.1K
GitHub Forks
-
GitHub Forks
-
Stacks
818
Stacks
130
Stacks
1.1K
Followers
169
Followers
147
Followers
702
Votes
29
Votes
2
Votes
37
Pros & Cons
Pros
  • 6
    Open source
  • 6
    Interoperates seamlessly with php
  • 5
    Backed by facebook
  • 4
    HHVM
  • 2
    Great documentation
Pros
  • 2
    Business Oriented Language
Cons
  • 2
    Extremely long code for simple functions
Pros
  • 20
    Simulink
  • 5
    Model based software development
  • 5
    Functions, statements, plots, directory navigation easy
  • 3
    S-Functions
  • 2
    REPL
Cons
  • 2
    Doesn't allow unpacking tuples/arguments lists with *
  • 2
    Does not support named function arguments
  • 2
    Parameter-value pairs syntax to pass arguments clunky
  • 1
    Costs a lot
Integrations
HHVM (HipHop Virtual Machine)
HHVM (HipHop Virtual Machine)
No integrations availableNo integrations available

What are some alternatives to Hack, COBOL, MATLAB?

JavaScript

JavaScript

JavaScript is most known as the scripting language for Web pages, but used in many non-browser environments as well such as node.js or Apache CouchDB. It is a prototype-based, multi-paradigm scripting language that is dynamic,and supports object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles.

Python

Python

Python is a general purpose programming language created by Guido Van Rossum. Python is most praised for its elegant syntax and readable code, if you are just beginning your programming career python suits you best.

PHP

PHP

Fast, flexible and pragmatic, PHP powers everything from your blog to the most popular websites in the world.

Ruby

Ruby

Ruby is a language of careful balance. Its creator, Yukihiro “Matz” Matsumoto, blended parts of his favorite languages (Perl, Smalltalk, Eiffel, Ada, and Lisp) to form a new language that balanced functional programming with imperative programming.

Java

Java

Java is a programming language and computing platform first released by Sun Microsystems in 1995. There are lots of applications and websites that will not work unless you have Java installed, and more are created every day. Java is fast, secure, and reliable. From laptops to datacenters, game consoles to scientific supercomputers, cell phones to the Internet, Java is everywhere!

Golang

Golang

Go is expressive, concise, clean, and efficient. Its concurrency mechanisms make it easy to write programs that get the most out of multicore and networked machines, while its novel type system enables flexible and modular program construction. Go compiles quickly to machine code yet has the convenience of garbage collection and the power of run-time reflection. It's a fast, statically typed, compiled language that feels like a dynamically typed, interpreted language.

HTML5

HTML5

HTML5 is a core technology markup language of the Internet used for structuring and presenting content for the World Wide Web. As of October 2014 this is the final and complete fifth revision of the HTML standard of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The previous version, HTML 4, was standardised in 1997.

C#

C#

C# (pronounced "See Sharp") is a simple, modern, object-oriented, and type-safe programming language. C# has its roots in the C family of languages and will be immediately familiar to C, C++, Java, and JavaScript programmers.

Scala

Scala

Scala is an acronym for “Scalable Language”. This means that Scala grows with you. You can play with it by typing one-line expressions and observing the results. But you can also rely on it for large mission critical systems, as many companies, including Twitter, LinkedIn, or Intel do. To some, Scala feels like a scripting language. Its syntax is concise and low ceremony; its types get out of the way because the compiler can infer them.

Elixir

Elixir

Elixir leverages the Erlang VM, known for running low-latency, distributed and fault-tolerant systems, while also being successfully used in web development and the embedded software domain.

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