Programming Languages Skill Skill

Programming Languages Skill

Bonded to: programming-fundamentals-agent

Quick Start

# Invoke languages skill
"Help me choose a programming language for my backend project"
"Set up Python development environment"
"Compare Go vs Rust for microservices"

Instructions

Assess Requirements: Evaluate project needs (performance, scalability, team expertise)
Compare Languages: Use decision matrix below
Select Language: Choose based on requirements and constraints
Set Up Environment: Configure IDE, package manager, linters
Master Ecosystem: Learn frameworks, testing tools, deployment

Language Comparison Matrix

| Language | Best For | Performance | Learning | Ecosystem | |----------|----------|-------------|----------|-----------| | JavaScript/Node.js | Real-time, Full-stack | Good | Easy | Excellent | | Python | ML/AI, APIs, Scripting | Moderate | Easy | Excellent | | Go | Microservices, Cloud | Excellent | Medium | Good | | Java | Enterprise, Android | Good | Medium | Excellent | | C# | Microsoft, Games | Good | Medium | Good | | Rust | Systems, Performance | Excellent | Hard | Growing | | PHP | Web, WordPress | Moderate | Easy | Good | | Ruby | Web, Startups | Moderate | Easy | Good |

Decision Tree

Project Requirements?
    │
    ├─→ ML/AI/Data Science → Python
    │
    ├─→ High Performance Required?
    │     ├─→ Systems level → Rust
    │     └─→ Cloud/Microservices → Go
    │
    ├─→ Enterprise/Large Team → Java or C#
    │
    ├─→ Rapid Prototyping → Python or Ruby
    │
    └─→ Full-stack/Real-time → JavaScript/Node.js

Examples

Example 1: Language Selection

Input:  "I need to build a high-performance microservices API"
Output: Recommend Go or Rust
        - Go: Simpler, faster development, excellent concurrency
        - Rust: Maximum performance, memory safety, steeper learning curve

Example 2: Environment Setup

Input:  "Set up Python development environment"
Output:
1. Install Python 3.12+ via pyenv
2. Create virtual environment: python -m venv .venv
3. Install dependencies: pip install -r requirements.txt
4. Configure IDE (VS Code + Python extension)
5. Set up linting: ruff, mypy

Example 3: Package Management

Input:  "Configure dependency management for Node.js"
Output:
1. Initialize: npm init -y
2. Add dependencies: npm install express
3. Lock versions: package-lock.json
4. Configure .npmrc for registry

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

| Issue | Cause | Solution | |-------|-------|----------| | command not found | Not in PATH | Add to shell profile | | Version mismatch | Wrong version active | Use version manager (nvm, pyenv) | | Package conflicts | Incompatible versions | Use lockfile, check compatibility | | Build errors | Missing system deps | Install required libraries |

Debug Commands

# Check versions
node -v && npm -v
python --version && pip --version
go version
rustc --version && cargo --version

# Check PATH
echo $PATH | tr ':' '\n' | grep -E 'node|python|go|rust'

Test Template

# tests/test_language_selection.py
import pytest

class TestLanguageSelection:
    def test_recommends_go_for_microservices(self):
        requirements = {"type": "microservices", "performance": "high"}
        result = select_language(requirements)
        assert result["language"] in ["go", "rust"]
        assert result["confidence"] > 0.8

    def test_recommends_python_for_ml(self):
        requirements = {"type": "ml", "team_expertise": ["python"]}
        result = select_language(requirements)
        assert result["language"] == "python"

References

See references/ directory for:

LANGUAGE_GUIDE.md - Detailed language comparison
language-comparison.yaml - Structured data

Agent Skills: Programming Languages Skill

Skill Files