3 ms·

Yes, including arbitrary data in binaries is probably as old as making binaries itself. I think what is new is that in the mid 90s you didn't have an open sour

Yes, including arbitrary data in binaries is probably as old as making binaries itself. I think what is new is that in the mid 90s you didn't have an open source, memory safe, ergonomic, strongly typed, type inferenced language that targets multiple platforms with ease, with a decent standard lib. Rust is delivering that. Golang is delivering that. I think those two are novel in that sense. From where I'm sitting the last few decades have been ruled by VMs and the explosion of scripting languages, because no one wanted to use those Apple/Microsoft toolchains that have been around in the 90s. While those toolchains rested on their laurels (or didn't, can't tell the difference now), Java became the enterprise workhorse.

pjmlp 9y ago
Well, Turbo Pascal, Delphi and Oberon also supported it, and they check some of those bullet points. Many devs do actually enjoy those Apple/Microsoft toolchains.
- jaccarmac 9y ago
  Common Lisp as well. For certain definitions of memory safe.
  - kbp 9y ago
    The "decent standard lib" part is debatable, especially if you don't slip on the "targeting multiple platforms with ease" part.
    - jaccarmac 9y ago
      Fair enough. Quicklisp + SBCL/Clozure is pretty solid but I suppose that wasn't the case 20 years ago.
      - kbp 9y ago
        For sure, and its standard library equivalent was very, very good for the time, just not by 2018 standards.
btilly 9y ago
Haskell had that. Java was marketed pretty closely to that.