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I find the framing of “no big backers” kind of weird, considering they do have one big backer in a crypto currency startup that is providing the overwhelming ma

I find the framing of “no big backers” kind of weird, considering they do have one big backer in a crypto currency startup that is providing the overwhelming majority of its funding. Sure it’s not the big coffers of Google, but it’s concerning that the entire language seemingly depends on the fates and desires of an incredibly volatile field. https://nim-lang.org/sponsors.html https://nim-lang.org/sponsors.html

dom96 8y ago
This is a very recent development and it will only serve to accelerate development. But yes, we do have sponsorship now. I don't consider it at the same level as the likes of Google/Mozilla though. If it wasn't for those companies I doubt Rust/Go would be alive today. You've gotta give us some points for our persistence :)
- z0ltan 8y ago
  Agreed.
enthus1ast 8y ago
the last 8 years (or so) Nim lived withouth big bakers
recursive 8y ago
A total investment of $19k probably doesn't qualify as a "big backer" when comparing to things like swift and typescript.
- omnimus 8y ago
  It is 19k a month.
sparkie 8y ago
It is not only that the companies pushing those languages have lots of money, it's that they already have lots of users. Often, they publish their language as if it were an "upgrade" from what they were already using, with an even greater chance of success if it is compatible with existing ecosystem. On the other hand, a language like Nim is starting from scratch. They don't have a specific target audience. There is so much competition in that crowded space that languages which are roughly on par in features and use similar paradigms are fighting for the attention of the geeks who would actually take the time to look, rather than it being bestowed upon them by the people already providing their tools. Languages are not general purpose in the truest sense. They have their own little ecosystems where they're expected to be used and their proponents are often bubbled in that ecosystem. It's easier to migrate to a new language in your ecosystem than to move to a new ecosystem. Someone just hoping to solve a specific task will pick the tool that has an established history of being practical in that domain and won't take risks with new languages. Anyway, language choice is often about what's fashionable than what's worthwhile. Did we get stuck with Javascript because of it's superior features or big company backing it? People want to learn whatever is de rigueur, often to improve their job prospects. Does having Nim on your resume give you an edge? Personally, I've looked at Nim and find it interesting, but not novel enough that I feel I need to use it. What are the killer features that only Nim provides and you feel you can't do without them after using it?
- mratsim 8y ago
  Compile-time function evaluation, superb metaprogramming and easy to write at a very low-level while you can enjoy the GC for non-perf critical parts. I use those daily in cryptography, VM/interpreter and bigint libraries development and in Nim it's a blast.

dom96 8y ago

This is a very recent development and it will only serve to accelerate development. But yes, we do have sponsorship now. I don't consider it at the same level as the likes of Google/Mozilla though. If it wasn't for those companies I doubt Rust/Go would be alive today. You've gotta give us some points for our persistence :)

z0ltan 8y ago
Agreed.

enthus1ast 8y ago

the last 8 years (or so) Nim lived withouth big bakers

recursive 8y ago

A total investment of $19k probably doesn't qualify as a "big backer" when comparing to things like swift and typescript.

omnimus 8y ago
It is 19k a month.

sparkie 8y ago

It is not only that the companies pushing those languages have lots of money, it's that they already have lots of users. Often, they publish their language as if it were an "upgrade" from what they were already using, with an even greater chance of success if it is compatible with existing ecosystem. On the other hand, a language like Nim is starting from scratch. They don't have a specific target audience. There is so much competition in that crowded space that languages which are roughly on par in features and use similar paradigms are fighting for the attention of the geeks who would actually take the time to look, rather than it being bestowed upon them by the people already providing their tools. Languages are not general purpose in the truest sense. They have their own little ecosystems where they're expected to be used and their proponents are often bubbled in that ecosystem. It's easier to migrate to a new language in your ecosystem than to move to a new ecosystem. Someone just hoping to solve a specific task will pick the tool that has an established history of being practical in that domain and won't take risks with new languages. Anyway, language choice is often about what's fashionable than what's worthwhile. Did we get stuck with Javascript because of it's superior features or big company backing it? People want to learn whatever is de rigueur, often to improve their job prospects. Does having Nim on your resume give you an edge? Personally, I've looked at Nim and find it interesting, but not novel enough that I feel I need to use it. What are the killer features that only Nim provides and you feel you can't do without them after using it?

mratsim 8y ago
Compile-time function evaluation, superb metaprogramming and easy to write at a very low-level while you can enjoy the GC for non-perf critical parts. I use those daily in cryptography, VM/interpreter and bigint libraries development and in Nim it's a blast.