dylan revival

[address@hidden (marc)]

hi there,

currently there seems to be a real chance for a revival of the
dylan programming language due to the following facts:

- the java hype has settled somewhat

- new languages like c#, j# try to convince people that java is not
the end of the road

- resentiments against advanced language features (like gc) decline

- people begin to recognize the need for even more advanced language
features (c.f. generics for java...)

- new devices (e.g. symbian-os based smart-phones) open a new
mass-marked

- microsofts clr-platform allows language diversitivity



how can dylan leverage the current situation to establish itself as a
competitive alternative?
I hope to get ideas from you, but mine are as follows:

1.) application-areas

- establish as best in class environment for emerging WebServices
world

- constraint-based programming

2.) compilers

the main problem of dylan IMHO is the 'unavailability' of dylan
compilers and VMs. So:

- develop a simple and lightweight dylan-to-c compiler 

- develop a dylan-to-clr compiler (knowing that clr is quite
unapropriate for a closure and generic-function based langauge like
dylan)

or

- define a dynamic-vm specification optimized for closure and
generic-function based languages and
  create a dylan-frontend as well as clr-based-backend for it.

and

- develop different dvm backends (interpreters, jits, compilers)

and try to target the following OSs:

- Windows XP, Stinger
- Linux
- OS X
-> Symbian OS v7.0

3.) language

- factoring of the dylan library into configurations and profiles (as
in J2ME) for small devices.

4.) politics

- try to get the support from a well known company (e.g. HP, Apple,
IBM, ...)

- involve universities for a dylan-to-clr project and get fundings
from M$ for that



I think that the time is right for dylan to become a more prominent
player in the field. The
language has everything required to tackle the complex programming
tasks in the upcoming
ubiquitious computing world.

cheers
marc