What does it mean to be good in a programming language? [closed]

Question

What does - 'Knowing a language' really mean?

I'm sure it's more than knowing just the syntax.

Is it

• knowing all/most of the available libraries
• knowing how the features of the language are implemented

How did you learn the language you are proficient in?

Answer 1

"Knowing" a programming language is very similar to "knowing" a human language - you're fluent when you don't have to keep flipping back to a book or pausing to remember the right word.

I think "knowing a language" means being able to read and comprehend most programs (~90%) without looking anything up in a reference resource, and knowing exactly where to go to find the technical details on more obscure parts of a framework. For languages/platforms that don't have a "framework" per se, it is having that knowledge of the major libraries commonly accepted by the community.

For writing in that language, it means spending ~90%+ time on the design of what you're writing - including research on the design - and less than 10% looking up technical reference information.

Answer 2

Really 'knowing' a language to describe yourself as 'good' means

• you know about all the features of the language, including both
  • the unique/good features and when to use them, as well as
  • the dusty corners and what to avoid
• you know about the common conventions
• (as you mention) you know the libraries of the platform
• you know the entire toolchain (IDEs, build projects, debuggers, profilers) so that you can be proficient with the language