Netease CEO Zhou Feng has endorsed the Go programming language, highlighting its strengths. He believes that Go inherits the flexible, simple, and effective design principles of C. Additionally, Go offers high productivity, with well-chosen solutions for complex problems through its language features and standard libraries.
As a relatively new programming language (eight years old, compared to C’s 40 years and Java’s 20 years), Go has gained popularity, especially among internet companies that are increasingly adopting it in cloud-based production systems. I’ve had several discussions with colleagues about this topic, and here is my personal take on why Go is worth considering:
1. Go is a strong successor to the C language's philosophy. I believe system engineers should study the Linux kernel code because it demonstrates how a single set of code can run across devices from small headsets to large servers, with easy configuration and one-click builds. This flexibility and readability stem from C’s simple and efficient design. While C++ is often seen as a negative example due to its complexity, Go keeps the core ideas of simplicity and efficiency. Although it lacks some low-level flexibility like pointer arithmetic, it enhances other areas such as concurrency and memory management. With only 25 keywords, Go maintains a minimal and clean syntax, making it easier to learn and use.
2. Go significantly boosts developer productivity. One key example is that it doesn’t require build files like Makefile or XML configurations, allowing you to simply run “go build†to automatically detect the project structure. This “convention over configuration†approach saves time and reduces overhead. Another example is cgo, which allows developers to embed C code directly into Go files. Unlike Java’s JNI, which involves generating .h files and compiling DLLs or .so files, Go makes this process seamless and straightforward. These features make Go an efficient choice for development, saving both time and effort.
3. Go provides excellent solutions for complex tasks through its language features and standard libraries. For instance, goroutines and channels offer a more elegant abstraction for concurrency than traditional threads and streams. The standard library also includes robust support for JSON, XML, HTTP, and regular expressions. Compared to languages like Swift, which introduce many features that can feel overwhelming, Go is more restrained and focused. It avoids unnecessary complexity, offering a cleaner and more practical approach.
A translation of Paul Hoehne’s article “The Subtle Productivity of Golang†further highlights the unique benefits of Go. The author admits that he was initially fascinated by the language and found a sense of comfort and efficiency that he hadn’t experienced in years. While other languages can do similar things, Go feels more intuitive and easier to master. It’s a language that fits well in your mind, reducing the need to constantly refer to external resources.
As programming languages evolve, they tend to add more features, increasing their complexity. C has around 30 keywords, while C# has 64, Java has 53, and C++ has about 80. Go, on the other hand, has only 25. Though not the sole measure of complexity, the number of keywords reflects the conceptual space developers must manage. Writing in C can be tedious, but Go strikes a balance between power and simplicity, making it more approachable.
In graduate school, I used to write C code in vi without auto-complete, relying on memory rather than external tools. Go gives a similar sense of control, with modern features like concurrency, Unicode support, and built-in HTTP services. It feels as comfortable as C but as productive as Java. For many, the idea of a “comfortable†language may seem unusual, but a tool that’s easy to use often leads to better results.
Looking ahead, I believe Go will become a dominant language in containerized environments. It compiles into standalone binaries, reducing runtime dependencies. Unlike Java or Python, which require specific runtimes, Go apps can run in any Linux container without extra installations. It supports multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac OS, and ARM, making deployment straightforward. This portability and efficiency make Go ideal for modern cloud infrastructure.
Why isn’t everyone using Go? Partly because it’s still relatively new—Go 1.0 is only five years old. Many companies still rely on legacy systems like PowerBuilder or JDK 6. Even today, some applications might run COBOL code from decades ago. However, as containers become more common and Java continues to grow in size and complexity, Go is poised to gain more traction. Its simplicity, performance, and ease of use make it a compelling choice for the future.
As more developers adopt Go, they’ll discover a subtle form of productivity: the ability to keep the entire language and key libraries in your mind. This is something that larger, more complex languages often lack. In the long run, Go could become the go-to language for building scalable, efficient, and maintainable systems.
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