Programming paradigms like Structured Programming, OOP, and Functional Programming provide rules for structuring code and what to avoid.
Structured Programming, introduced by Edsger Dijkstra, emphasized using if/then/else and do/while instead of harmful uses of goto statements.
Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) moves function calls to a heap, enabling features like polymorphism that existed before in languages like C.
C programmers used function pointers to achieve polymorphic behavior before OOP formalized and automated this pattern.
Functional Programming (FP) focuses on immutability to prevent concurrency bugs by not allowing variables to be changed.
Languages like Java, TypeScript, Rust, and Kotlin incorporate FP ideas for immutability to improve code stability.
All programming paradigms restrict developers by removing certain capabilities, such as goto, function pointers, and unrestricted variable assignment.
Programming paradigms guide developers on what not to do, emphasizing constraints to build better systems over unrestricted programming freedom.
The evolution of programming paradigms from the 1950s to 1970s has not seen the emergence of a fourth paradigm, indicating that existing paradigms have effectively shaped coding practices.
Constraints imposed by programming paradigms have proven beneficial in enhancing system reliability and maintainability over the years.
The principles of programming paradigms have led to a shift towards structured, object-oriented, and functional programming approaches while emphasizing the importance of constraints in software development.