4GLs will let you build crap quicker.
@AC "Devs don't love them. People who aspire to be devs but lack any practical software engineering skills like them"
I don't entirely agree. As a dev I would not say I love them but I certainly don't hate them. While not 4GL, writing programs for Windows using Visual Studio a lot of basic template code is generated for you if you want it to. C++ with MFC (Document View model) creates the basic SDI or MDI application, C# does similar. A lot of basic front end GUI work is done very much like a 4GL and yes I do love that, it save me having to write GUI handling code, while I concentrate on writing the application code.
I whole heartedly agree with your point lack any practical software engineering skills. 4GLs even though they are at a higher level of abstraction, still require software engineering skills to design the logic and flow of the program. Otherwise the result is a badly built application, that will be slow and buggy. Because the logic has not been thought through.
4GLs just like lower level languages will let you build an application that's a complete pile of crap, just 4GLs let you build that crap quicker.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
