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From http://www.paulgraham.com/icad.html http://www.paulgraham.com/icad.html "We know that Java must be pretty good, because it is the cool, new programming la

by kijiki 11y ago

From http://www.paulgraham.com/icad.html http://www.paulgraham.com/icad.html "We know that Java must be pretty good, because it is the cool, new programming language. Or is it? If you look at the world of programming languages from a distance, it looks like Java is the latest thing. (From far enough away, all you can see is the large, flashing billboard paid for by Sun.)" s/Java/Go/g s/Sun/Google/g Not to say that Go is a bad language (I'd certainly rather use it than Java!), but looking at the language itself to try to identify the reasons for its relative success is doomed to fail.

divan 11y ago
> but looking at the language itself to try to identify the reasons for its relative success is doomed to fail. Is it? People who use Go and people who designed Go both appeal to the language design. It's users write blog posts about that deliberate balance of simplicity and power they encountered in language, which made them productive. And it's creators write posts and give talks on their deliberate approach to language design to achieve this balance. It seems like both, users and creators, are in perfect alignment here. So why language design can't be the reason of it's success?
- bsder 11y ago
  > It's users write blog posts about that deliberate balance of simplicity and power they encountered in language, which made them productive. Compared to what? Java at the time Go was introduced? Sure. Java now? Um, I think I'd probably rather use modern Java than Go, thanks (although I'd probably reach for Clojure instead). And I'm a Python guy ... Go solved one problem well (compilation times of large codebases) and was the first introduction for a lot of programmers to any solution for concurrency. Everything else is kinda ... mediocre. But, let me be as nice as I can be. Go solves programming problems that large companies have. Sound like several familiar languages of the past?
- dllthomas 11y ago
  "People who use Go and people who designed Go both appeal to the language design. It's users write blog posts about that deliberate balance of simplicity and power they encountered in language, which made them productive. And it's creators write posts and give talks on their deliberate approach to language design to achieve this balance." I recall that being true of Java, as well, in the early years.
tedunangst 11y ago
Not an entirely accurate comparison. My toaster doesn't announce "Powered by Go!!!" when I turn it on, unlike all the Java gizmos around here do. Google seems content to let people decide to use Go, or not, without buying up Superbowl ads to promote it.

by kijiki 11y ago

divan 11y ago

> but looking at the language itself to try to identify the reasons for its relative success is doomed to fail. Is it? People who use Go and people who designed Go both appeal to the language design. It's users write blog posts about that deliberate balance of simplicity and power they encountered in language, which made them productive. And it's creators write posts and give talks on their deliberate approach to language design to achieve this balance. It seems like both, users and creators, are in perfect alignment here. So why language design can't be the reason of it's success?

bsder 11y ago
> It's users write blog posts about that deliberate balance of simplicity and power they encountered in language, which made them productive. Compared to what? Java at the time Go was introduced? Sure. Java now? Um, I think I'd probably rather use modern Java than Go, thanks (although I'd probably reach for Clojure instead). And I'm a Python guy ... Go solved one problem well (compilation times of large codebases) and was the first introduction for a lot of programmers to any solution for concurrency. Everything else is kinda ... mediocre. But, let me be as nice as I can be. Go solves programming problems that large companies have. Sound like several familiar languages of the past?
dllthomas 11y ago
"People who use Go and people who designed Go both appeal to the language design. It's users write blog posts about that deliberate balance of simplicity and power they encountered in language, which made them productive. And it's creators write posts and give talks on their deliberate approach to language design to achieve this balance." I recall that being true of Java, as well, in the early years.

tedunangst 11y ago

Not an entirely accurate comparison. My toaster doesn't announce "Powered by Go!!!" when I turn it on, unlike all the Java gizmos around here do. Google seems content to let people decide to use Go, or not, without buying up Superbowl ads to promote it.