what is the disadvantage of having too many features in a programming language?

Answer 1

It shouldn't be a problem, as long as:

1) The features are well-designed, e.g. having one sort function that takes a few options, rather than many sort functions that do slightly different things
2) The features are namespaced - e.g. mathematical functions are in a Maths module or object, that way user function and variable names are less likely to collide with language base features, and be broken by language version increments
3) The features are properly documented in an organised way - there's no point in offering a facility if the programmer doesn't know it's there or the specs give no clue on how it's supposed to be used
4) The features don't duplicate one another - e.g. different names for the same function, different possible syntaxes for the same meaning, etc. which makes code harder to read for programmers familiar with the "other" syntax
5) The features aren't out of scope for the language (e.g. there's no point in features for 3D graphics acceleration in a language designed for web servers), as this will increase memory requirements, and thin out performance efforts.

So, the disadvantages would be if one of these pitfalls is encountered, and the potential problems caused.

Answer 2

For a language with a ton of features, check out Java. You can do pretty much anything in Java in a few lines, it seems, if you know what the correct feature is. The reason so many people use it is that, even though it has tons of features, they are very well documented and organized.

A less well documented and organized language is Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC). It's frustrating to use because you know the functionality is there, but you spend more time looking for it than if you programmed it yourself.

In general, though, these heavily featured languages require an awful lot of typing to say anything. Have you tried using I/O in Java? You need to go like 5 or 6 levels deep in an object just to find a print function. Irritating.

Answer 3

Too many features are a challenge to remember.

Part of the fun of programming is using your own imagination and creativity to develop elegant data structures.

Have fun but be safe!