The difference is that states require you to follow the rules, but you can choose what language you want to use yourself. I don't need to know Java if I want to

The difference is that states require you to follow the rules, but you can choose what language you want to use yourself. I don't need to know Java if I want to use Lisp, and you don't need to know Lisp if you want to use Java. Yes, stuff will need to be rewritten. If you want choice you trade efficiency for it. I'm okay with that. If everyone uses the "proven" libraries and languages and whatever we'll have no innovation. I don't want to live in a rigid world where we somehow ended up choosing a set of things and nobody uses anything else; I want to see more software written in weird languages. Arguments that go like "but nobody is gonna learn a whole language to contribute to your stuff" are depressing - if it's good, I, like many others, would. Without experiments like these we'd still be in the 60s using COBOL because it's "industry proven" or "battle tested" or "blazingly fast" or whatever. That world is boring. This is Hacker News after all.