Drawbacks of using too many languages.

[Shockwave]

Sometimes it is unavoidable of course, but I learned a good deal of Php, Sql and Css because I had a few site projects to write.

Now I cracked open my editor again for the first time in a few months because I have a whole website to write, the front end here and also need to add some stuff to retrocomputermuseum and I just can't believe how much of this stuff I have forgotten over the space of a few short months.

I couldn't even remember how to center a picture

I've forgotten more than I have retained!
Anyone else find this?

I can't even remember all the languages I've played with down the years.. Perhaps it's common or maybe I am going senile

Anyway, found out that Firefox 3 does some nice stuff now, such as scaling all the images on the screen as well as the text when you hold down ctrl and roll the mouse wheel.

Wheeeeee!!

No doubt I'll rediscover my hatred of Internet Explorer too.

[StatMat]

I have had similar experiences myself. Therefore I tend to stick with my preferred languages C/C++, ASM and PHP. The sad thing is, working in software engineering you are expected to be proficient in many different languages. Whilst recently looking for a new job, I had several companies list so many required languages it was untrue. Quite how they expect someone to be fully proficient at the drop of a hat in C, C++, C#, VB, Java, Perl, Sql etc in a single role is really quite unreasonable.

[combatking0]

I have that trouble, but I try to work in languages which are as similar as possible, such as PHP, JavaScript and ActionScript.

I'm still quite handy with BASIC based languages, such as ASP and YABASIC, as well as HTML, but it does get tricky trying to remember when you should use a != or a <> sometimes.

[Pixel_Outlaw]

The same holds true of spoken languages. I can remember some Spanish (took 3 years in school) but I would say that I have lost maybe 70% of what I used to know. Perhaps the brain stores programming languages in the same way it stores written languages. It is kind of annoying that we cannot choose what we remember. If this were the case I'm sure we could do some sort of brain damage with allocation space. I suppose books and computers are just extra memory cards for the brain. It would be really cool to get down to how the brain works,  cutting through the hocus pocus and theory.

[benny!]

Yeah. Of course ... I have to switch in my daily work also often
from language to language. And it is indeed confusing. Some hints
which may helps:

- Try to use the same IDE if possible (refer: Eclipse platform)
- I stick to Object-Oriented code only (PHP, JAVA, ActionScript...)
- Try to use the same patterns (like MVC ...)

[combatking0]

The brain stores memories in order of theme, such that animals are stored together, tools, vehicles, etc. depending on the understanding of the individual on the world around them.

To apply knowledge of programming to everything you can imagine might be one way of using most of your memory for programming.

I often try to apply programming to real world objects, but so far it hasn't helped.

[Hotshot]

I used to have that problem in the past when I had too many language myself as I got nowhere and now I am listen to what shocky say....stick to one language which is freebasic.
I am helping Blitz 3D demo for Gooner which is nearly finished which he can learn from.