Agile language development: the next generation

Statically compiled and strongly typed languages (Java, C#) have demonstrated their ability to produce robust, easily maintainable applications. Many of us accept this statement as dogma, not open to question. Whether true or not, most of us would agree that such languages as Java have changed forever the way we develop and deploy applications. In this paper, we propose that in order to evolve the next generation of distributed, rapidly developed applications, lightweight languages (what were once called "scripting languages") such as Python, Ruby, PHP, ECMAScript, Groovy, and JudoScript are critical to provide infrastructure for component-based applications, to support rapid prototyping, and more and more to create next generation applications themselves. Further, we survey features and capabilities of next generation programming languages and discuss techniques for integration of components created in strongly typed languages. Additionally, we focus on distributed applications using dynamic combinations of disparate languages without the need for heavy weight constructs such as CORBA; turning native applications into services; and creating conversational applications. Finally, we review a large-scale systems management application implemented entirely using agile languages and open protocols