I think the next step in languages it the mutli-level
abstraction. Right now we have the base level core programming
and the preprocessing/template/generic level above that. There is
no reason why language can't/shouldn't keep going. The ability to
control and help the compiler do it's job better is the next
frontier.
Analogous to how C++ allowed for abstraction of data, template
allow for abstraction of functionality, we then need to abstract
"templates"(or rather meta programming).
Unfortunately each level is less useful and more complex to
implement but I think it will open new doors once done(similar to
how oop changes the face of programing).
For example, why are there built in types? There is no inherit
reason this is so except this allows compilers to achieve certain
performance results... but having a higher level of abstraction
of meta programming should allow us to bridge the internals of
the compiler more effectively.
I don't see anything like this happening so depending on your
scale, I don't think we are getting better, but just chasing our
tails... how many more languages do we need that just change the
syntax of C++? Why do people think syntax matters? Semantics is
what is important but there seems to be little focus on it. Of
course, we must express semantics through syntax so for practical
purposes it mattes to some degree.... But not nearly as much as
the number of programming languages suggest.
