I agree that hard data is difficult to come by. Without it though, people should not be claiming that X style of programming is better than Y. As much as I like

I agree that hard data is difficult to come by. Without it though, people should not be claiming that X style of programming is better than Y. As much as I like the functional style, it could be that Pascal-style structured programming is actually the best. Who knows? There was a recent post here on HN about empirical language design and I thought that was a refreshing change. I'd like to see a change in software culture towards an evidence based approach. It's long overdue. Alan Kay called the software world "pop culture" and I think he is right. Software is more fashion driven than Vogue magazine. Academic research could be a vehicle for a more empirical approach. Research in the hard sciences embraces empiricism. Sadly, the academic research in software doesn't, generally, adhere to the same level of rigor.