[Haskell-cafe] Re: Non-technical Haskell question

[mattr]

Haskell is still a very dynamic language - there is still much room for 
it to grow and improve.  In that sense, it is still young.

Perl and Python and Ruby have hit middle age - no more growing, just 
more bulk accumulating around the middle.

Matt

On Wednesday, December 8, 2004, at 08:06 AM, Gour wrote:

> Paul Hudak (paul.hudak at yale.edu) wrote:
>
>> Does Python not have warts?  Or Pearl, or Java, or C#?  I don't think
>> that a few warts prevent a language from becoming a "success".
>
> I agree.
>
>> But you may be right that it is too late... Haskell is getting old!
>> Sometimes I think that for a language to "succeed" it must do so in 
>> its
>> infancy.
>
> Let's take e.g. Ruby - it's also over 10-year and is just gaining wider
> acceptance.
>
>> Perhaps the thing to do is create a new language with a new name, but
>> base it entirely on Haskell's semantics, then equip it with just one
>> really good library to solve well just one important niche problem, 
>> and
>> see what happens.  If it is seen as a shiny new silver bullet in just
>> one niche area, it might take off like a rocket.
>
> However, RAA (Ruby Application Archive) counts 1291 project in 218 
> categories.
>
> Many programmers are switching from either Perl or Python (I had to 
> unsubscribe
> from the mailing lists  'cause the traffic increased tremendously).
>
> What is so special in Ruby in comparison with e.g. Perl & Python?
>
> otoh, SF counts 91,889 projects (OK, many are dead) & 968,206 users. 
> That is
> the whole army and I'm sure that filling the library-gaps, providing 
> more
> documentation & printed books (what Pickaxe book did for the spreading 
> of the
> Ruby, besides 20+ printed books in Japanese) covering (more) advanced 
> features
> of the language (some kind of follow-up for your & Thompson's book) 
> suited for
> the 'average-open-source-programmers' can bring lot of newcomers to the
> Haskell camp in order to solve general problems - "Haskell is a general
> purpose, purely functional programming language", isn't it?
>
> What other alternative one has in the lazy-functional camp?
>
> So, if there is already a wonderful one, why neglect the child? Let's 
> help
> it to grow.
>
> Haskell is getting old, but it is still too young .. :-)
>
> Sincerely,
> Gour
>
>
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