The Howdy Glossary

Carbon is a lightweight programming language developed by Ipedo, Inc., in 2003 to address the need for manipulating XML across different programming languages. It aimed to facilitate the creation of web services and web applications with a focus on distributed computing through built-in libraries. Carbon combined elements from scripting languages like JavaScript with object-oriented concepts, intending to bridge front-end and back-end technologies cohesively.

Despite offering several unique features such as support for distributed computing, ease of learning, and high-performance capabilities, Carbon faced significant competition from established programming languages like Java, C#, Python, PHP, and Ruby on Rails. These competitors already had strong ecosystems and community support that provided robust frameworks and libraries for web development. This competition likely contributed to Carbon's limited adoption despite its innovative approach to integrating scripting language elements with object-oriented concepts.

Carbon's notable advantages included its emphasis on XML manipulation across different languages and support for distributed computing through built-in libraries. Its blend of lightweight design, ease of use, and high performance made it an attractive option for developers seeking a simpler yet powerful tool for creating web services and applications. Although it did not achieve widespread adoption due to the dominance of other established languages, Carbon presented a unique solution tailored for developers needing specific functionalities in web development environments that required bridging front-end and back-end technologies effectively.