From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Delivered-To: caml-list@yquem.inria.fr Received: from nez-perce.inria.fr (nez-perce.inria.fr [192.93.2.78]) by yquem.inria.fr (Postfix) with ESMTP id F1764BC9C for ; Sat, 5 Feb 2005 14:57:36 +0100 (CET) Received: from first.in-berlin.de (dialin-145-254-064-164.arcor-ip.net [145.254.64.164]) by nez-perce.inria.fr (8.13.0/8.13.0) with ESMTP id j15DvYY8022331 for ; Sat, 5 Feb 2005 14:57:35 +0100 Received: by first.in-berlin.de (Postfix, from userid 501) id D8C57A7E62; Sat, 5 Feb 2005 14:39:22 +0100 (CET) Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2005 14:39:22 +0100 From: Oliver Bandel To: caml-list@yquem.inria.fr Subject: Re: [Caml-list] Estimating the size of the ocaml community Message-ID: <20050205133922.GF484@first.in-berlin.de> References: <36663.132.206.3.150.1107545768.squirrel@mail.cs.mcgill.ca> <20050205071308.GA24083@tallman.ucsc.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20050205071308.GA24083@tallman.ucsc.edu> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.6i X-Miltered: at nez-perce with ID 4204D0CE.003 by Joe's j-chkmail (http://j-chkmail.ensmp.fr)! X-Spam: no; 0.00; oliver:01 bandel:01 oliver:01 in-berlin:01 caml-list:01 ocaml:01 wrote:01 freezes:01 sml:01 o'caml:01 kenneth:98 knowles:98 ...:98 languages:03 depends:04 X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.0.2 (2004-11-16) on yquem.inria.fr X-Spam-Status: No, score=0.1 required=5.0 tests=FORGED_RCVD_HELO autolearn=disabled version=3.0.2 X-Spam-Level: On Fri, Feb 04, 2005 at 11:13:08PM -0800, Kenneth Knowles wrote: [...] > The mainstream languages are that way for two reasons: > (1) They filled a niche at a key moment. This happens about once a decade, and > by no means selects the "best" language. > (2) They are entrenched (by #1). When this happens to your language it freezes > and you have to look elsewhere for the cutting edge. > > So it all depends on your goals. Personally, I would prefer for something like > SML to become mainstream, because it is already a relic. I'd like to see O'Caml > continue as it is - an enormous advantage for those small companies and > individuals who are nimble and adventurous enough to use it, and a reasonably > researchful language. Yes, I agree here. Better to have - as small company or especially as single developer - the advantage of a growing, excellent language and not have many others who also use it. Ciao, Oliver