Counterpoint: if any language could thrive in that valley of despair between pragmatic and theoretical excellence you're referring to, it would be Rust. Because

Counterpoint: if any language could thrive in that valley of despair between pragmatic and theoretical excellence you're referring to, it would be Rust. Because so much of the cost is already paid for once you have satisfied the borrow checker. At least that's what I'd imagine, I could certainly be wrong.