There seem to be a lot of posts on the Internet about programming languages, but most of them seem to assume some incorrect facts. Here are some true ones to keep in mind while reading:
- Typing (on the keyboard) is bad. (Some people seem to think that programming is a job and performance can be measured in LOC)
- Coding style should be a choice of the programmer, not of the language designer.
- Premature optimization is the root of all evil, so comparing languages by performance (a squaring operation) is just plain evil.
- Everything your program sees is a lie; it is always running in a virtual machine.
- A picture is worth a thousand words, but can be summarized in less than 10.
Sorry for no searches today; I’m running out. (Maybe I’ll post some original content!)
insearchoftheultimateprogramming 
All very true; in particular the first and the last one to me have a lot of impact on how a language should be designed.