5 ms·

S-expr syntax will doom the lisp family to niche applications. I really didn’t want to accept this for a long time because I think lisp is a beautiful language

S-expr syntax will doom the lisp family to niche applications. I really didn’t want to accept this for a long time because I think lisp is a beautiful language but I finally gave up on it.

justinmeiners 7y ago
syntax is the deciding factor in a languages success?
- owl57 7y ago
  JS seems even more popular than warranted by its place in the browser. Maybe Netscape management wasn't completely off target with that "Make it look like Java" thing.
- cageface 7y ago
  It can be if it’s off putting enough to the average developer. There were a lot of good ideas in lisp. Just about all of them have made their way into popular languages except the syntax. It’s not an accident imo.
- carapace 7y ago
  It worked for Python.