Good point. The alive / dead metaphor is not so useful to descibe the language itself. Perhaps it is the community that should be described as alive or dead. Th

Good point. The alive / dead metaphor is not so useful to descibe the language itself. Perhaps it is the community that should be described as alive or dead. The language itself is just a tool. It never was alive, but as long as it works, it is useful for those that choose to use it. Just like a hammer can be useful long after the toolsmith that made it died.