"One in-between possibility could be to retain the standard syntax/semantics but target an existing VM with a bigger development community" I think that's a gr

"One in-between possibility could be to retain the standard syntax/semantics but target an existing VM with a bigger development community" I think that's a great move for a number of languages as they lose popularity over time. The Scheme on lisp machines was outpaced by version on compiled machines, and is the version we use today.