There are numerous factors to consider when selecting an appropriate programming language for a specific project. 

For some projects there will be little choice due to the nature of the targeted environment and device.

When choosing a programming language a variety of different criteria should be considered including:

• The nature of the project. 

• Different languages are suited to the solution of different types of problems. 

• An artificial intelligence application will be suited to a different language compared to software to run an online store. 

• The best language to write a low level hardware driver will be very different to the best language to write a platform game. 

• Research is required to determine the most suitable language for the type of software project. 

• The intended environment 

• including hardware, operating system and network use has a large impact on the most suitable language. 

• There are interpreted languages designed for use on web servers and others which operate within client web browsers. 

• Some languages compile down to an intermediate code (such as Java’s byte code) and will execute on multiple different operating systems. 

• Other languages or language variants are designed for smart phones or tablets.

• The experience of the programmers. 

• It takes a significant amount of time and effort to learn a new language and to become an expert requires experience which can only be obtained over time. 

• Therefore, it is often better to select a language the developer’s are already familiar with rather than choose a new language despite the new language being more appropriate for a particular project.

• Event driven or sequential approach. 

• Software applications which require a graphical user interface (GUI) often use an event driven approach. 

• This means subroutines within the  software execute in response to events initiated by the user, such as clicking a button or selecting from a menu. 

• Other events such as an incoming network message or a sensor detecting movement are also events the system can detect. 

• The design of event driven code is different to sequential code as there is no definite start and end. 

• A sequential program has a single start, the processing commences and then finally the program ends. The code controls the order of execution, which includes directing the user through the logic. 

• Event driven programs are controlled and led by the user. As the user initiates commands the program runs the code associated with that event.

• Maintainability. 

• Does the language encourage or enforce good practice in terms of well structured and self contained modules which are easy to maintain and reuse? 

• Is there a large community of programmers and a large library of code which can be examined for ongoing support?