# Wolfram Language

> programming language and environment

**Wikidata**: [Q15241057](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15241057)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfram_Language)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/wolfram-language

## Summary
Wolfram Language is a multi-paradigm programming language and environment developed by Stephen Wolfram and Wolfram Research. It integrates functional, imperative, declarative, and object-based programming paradigms, and is the foundation of the computational software *Mathematica*.

## Key Facts
- **Inception**: 1988 (as part of *Mathematica*), officially launched as a standalone language in 2014.
- **Creator**: Designed by Stephen Wolfram, a British-American mathematician, physicist, and computer scientist.
- **Paradigms**: Supports functional, imperative, declarative, object-based, and array programming.
- **Latest Version**: 14.0.0 (stable, released January 9, 2024).
- **License**: Proprietary, developed by Wolfram Research.
- **Platforms**: Runs on Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux.
- **File Extensions**: Uses `.m`, `.wl`, `.nb`, `.cdf`, and `.wls`.
- **Influences**: Inspired by languages like Lisp, Fortran, APL, Prolog, and Smalltalk.
- **Typing Discipline**: Dynamically and strongly typed.

## FAQs
### Q: Who created Wolfram Language?
A: Wolfram Language was designed by Stephen Wolfram, founder of Wolfram Research, and first introduced as part of *Mathematica* in 1988.

### Q: What programming paradigms does Wolfram Language support?
A: It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting functional, imperative, declarative, object-based, and array programming.

### Q: Is Wolfram Language open-source?
A: No, it is proprietary software developed and licensed by Wolfram Research.

### Q: What platforms does Wolfram Language run on?
A: It is compatible with Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems.

### Q: What is the latest version of Wolfram Language?
A: The latest stable version is 14.0.0, released on January 9, 2024.

## Why It Matters
Wolfram Language is significant for its integration of multiple programming paradigms into a single, cohesive environment, enabling high-level computational and symbolic manipulation. As the backbone of *Mathematica*, it has been instrumental in scientific computing, data analysis, and algorithmic development since the late 1980s. Its ability to handle complex mathematical operations, visualization, and knowledge-based computing makes it a powerful tool for researchers, engineers, and educators. The language’s design emphasizes readability and expressiveness, allowing users to write concise code for tasks ranging from numerical computation to machine learning. By unifying procedural, functional, and declarative approaches, Wolfram Language bridges gaps between different programming philosophies, offering a versatile platform for both technical and general-purpose applications.

## Notable For
- **Multi-Paradigm Design**: One of the few languages to seamlessly integrate functional, imperative, declarative, and object-based programming.
- **Symbolic Computation**: Excels in symbolic mathematics, a core feature inherited from *Mathematica*.
- **Built-in Knowledge**: Includes curated computational knowledge (e.g., algorithms, datasets) accessible via simple commands.
- **Influence on *Mathematica***: Serves as the primary language for *Mathematica*, one of the most widely used computational software programs in science and engineering.
- **Strong Typing with Dynamic Flexibility**: Combines dynamic typing with strong type safety, reducing runtime errors while maintaining flexibility.

## Body
### **Origins and Development**
- Wolfram Language originated as the scripting language for *Mathematica*, first released on June 23, 1988.
- It was officially branded as "Wolfram Language" in 2014, though its core architecture dates back to the late 1980s.
- Developed by **Wolfram Research**, a company founded by Stephen Wolfram, who also designed the language.

### **Programming Paradigms**
- **Functional Programming**: Supports first-class functions, recursion, and immutable data structures.
- **Imperative Programming**: Allows procedural code with loops, conditionals, and mutable state.
- **Declarative Programming**: Enables rule-based and pattern-matching constructs.
- **Object-Based**: Uses objects and messages but lacks full class inheritance (distinct from classical OOP).
- **Array Programming**: Optimized for vectorized operations on arrays and matrices.

### **Technical Specifications**
- **Typing**: Dynamically typed with strong type checking to prevent invalid operations.
- **Interpreted**: Executes code directly without prior compilation (though some optimizations are applied).
- **File Formats**: Primary extensions include `.wl` (Wolfram Language), `.nb` (*Mathematica* notebooks), and `.m` (legacy package files).
- **Operating Systems**: Native support for Windows, macOS, and Linux.

### **Influences and Comparisons**
- **Influenced By**: Lisp (functional roots), Fortran (numerical computing), APL (array operations), and Smalltalk (object-based design).
- **Different From**: MATLAB’s `.m` files, despite superficial syntactic similarities.
- **Used By**: *Mathematica*, Wolfram|Alpha, and other Wolfram Research products.

### **Ecosystem and Community**
- **Documentation**: Official reference available at [https://reference.wolfram.com/language/](https://reference.wolfram.com/language/).
- **Community**: Active discussions on Stack Exchange ([Wolfram Language tag](https://mathematica.stackexchange.com/tags/core-language)), Reddit (r/Wolfram), and Quora.
- **Licensing**: Proprietary; requires a license from Wolfram Research for commercial or academic use.

### **Version History**
- **Version 14.0.0**: Released January 9, 2024, introducing new features in machine learning, visualization, and performance optimizations.
- Earlier versions were tied to *Mathematica* releases, with incremental updates adding support for modern computing paradigms (e.g., cloud integration, GPU acceleration).

## Schema Markup
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
  "name": "Wolfram Language",
  "description": "A multi-paradigm programming language and environment developed by Wolfram Research, supporting functional, imperative, declarative, and object-based programming.",
  "url": "https://www.wolfram.com/language/",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q18605378",
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfram_Language"
  ],
  "operatingSystem": ["Windows", "macOS", "Linux"],
  "programmingLanguage": {
    "@type": "ComputerLanguage",
    "name": "Wolfram Language",
    "paradigm": ["functional", "imperative", "declarative", "object-based", "array"]
  },
  "version": "14.0.0",
  "datePublished": "2014",
  "creator": {
    "@type": "Person",
    "name": "Stephen Wolfram"
  },
  "developer": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Wolfram Research"
  },
  "license": "Proprietary"
}

## References

1. Integrated Authority File
2. [Source](https://github.com/JohnMarkOckerbloom/ftl/blob/master/data/wikimap)
3. [The Story Continues: Announcing Version 14 of Wolfram Language and Mathematica. 2024](https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2024/01/the-story-continues-announcing-version-14-of-wolfram-language-and-mathematica/)
4. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File