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> "So what can we learn from this for designing future languages?" We can learn that it's inevitable that your language will come into fashion, be hyped up to
by points 16y ago
> "So what can we learn from this for designing future languages?"
We can learn that it's inevitable that your language will come into fashion, be hyped up to be "the language", then will fall out of fashion and be declared 'dead'.
The idea of a '100 year language' is solid as long as developers don't choose languages like they choose what to wear. Unfortunately though, most developers seem to choose based on current fashion rather than anything else.
- metamemetics 16y agoLet's try to be constructive here! Come up with solutions and ways to avoid the problems mentioned in the future. There's always fashions and trends sure, but I think most people chose to program their last web app in Python or Ruby over assembly for more practical reasons...
- points 16y agoheh true, although you sure can learn a lot doing things the 'unaccepted' way. So I'd actually advise everyone to try writing a webapp in assembly. If most people tell you what you're doing is crazy, it's often a big sign that you should do it.
- regularfry 16y ago"They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown."
- philwelch 16y agoProgramming language popularity works like fashion, but not because developers are shallow and finicky. It's because it's actually important what other developers are using. You could have the best programming language ever, but libraries, resources, help, and advice won't exist until you have a lot of people using it. There's enough adventurous programmers to bootstrap this cycle with new languages, but the general principle holds.
- points 16y agoI agree to an extent. That stuff matters when you're starting out and just learning. But after you get to a certain level the 'language ecosystem' isn't important at all IMHO.
- lygaret 16y agoMassively disagree: once I get to a certain level, there's no way in hell I want to waste my time implementing all of (java) commons-lang, or my own sqlite bindings, etc. When the languages ecosystem is flourishing, I am productive. When it's not, I'm shaving yaks that prefer not to be shaved.
- zaphar 16y agosnarky aside No one wants to implement all of java commons-lang in their language of choice because they'd be lynched by the languages users. I no of no other language with a standard library as annoyingly verbose and complicated as java.