When comparing Brainfuck vs Red, the Slant community recommends Red for most people. In the question“What is the best programming language to learn first?” Red is ranked 40th while Brainfuck is ranked 76th. The most important reason people chose Red is:
Other languages have complex, multi-step setups that beginners often get stuck on. Red has no installer, no setup, no dependencies*, just a single small (~1MB) command-line executable with both the compiler and repl. On Windows, you don't even have to launch executable from the command line--it has a GUI-console.
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Pros
Pro Great exercice for your brain
If you ever succeed to use it at least once, whatever it does, you will never be afraid to learn any other programming language.
Pro Very good introduction in geek communities
Say you made a Brainfuck program once, and count how many geeks you will attract.
Pro Designed to challenge and amuse programmers
Rather than have a practical application, Brainfuck is an esoteric language for the purpose of challenging programmers who want to code in a more unusual language.
Pro Simple toolchain
Other languages have complex, multi-step setups that beginners often get stuck on. Red has no installer, no setup, no dependencies*, just a single small (~1MB) command-line executable with both the compiler and repl. On Windows, you don't even have to launch executable from the command line--it has a GUI-console.
Pro Very simple syntax
Red syntax is a lot like Rebol. It's easier than most languages for beginners to pick up.
Pro Both low and high-level
Red has low enough access to do systems programming, but it's expressive enough for high-level scripting.
Pro Low cognitive load
Red has very simple syntax that's easy to learn. It gets out of your way and lets you think about the problem instead, enhancing productivity.
Cons
Con Esoteric language
Brainfuck is by design extremely difficult to use. This makes it un-learnable to beginners.
Con Impractical language, used only as a toy
It won't get you a job. It is not used in any practical application.
Con It's a joke language
Con Almost as bad as Python, but less adopted.
It's a joke, just like Python, but at least brainfuck admits it ;-)
Con R-rated name
It's difficult to talk about in polite company.
Con Not production ready
Red is still under development and not considered stable.
Con Still in beta
It mostly works. It's good enough for building usable applications, but some planned features are missing.