> For example, a faster and better compiler for a popular language that itself is slow, might get some traction. This is a viable business model in principle b

> For example, a faster and better compiler for a popular language that itself is slow, might get some traction. This is a viable business model in principle but seems to rarely work in practice. A big part of the problem is that all languages in wide use already have mature compilers and the language itself is evolving as quickly as its designers able to make it. This means that anyone entering the third-party compiler business has to not only catch up to the existing mature implementation (and be fully bug-for-bug compatible with it), they have to surpass that and track a quickly moving target. So far, few have been able to pull that off successfully.