Re: Functional Paradigm popularity and Maths (Was: XML as a transition to s-expr)

[Scott McKay <address@hidden>]

At 01:47 PM 12/20/01, Paul Graham wrote:
>Do you mean that the current development team for
>Lotus Notes is no good, or the original authors were
>no good?  I have no trouble believing the former.
>Good software is often *inherited* by mediocre
>hackers, e.g. if a startup is bought, or even just
>gradually stagnates.  In that case it is still mostly
>the original authors who are affecting the world,
>even if they don't work for the company anymore.
>
> From what I've heard the original authors of Notes
>were actually smart guys.
>
>http://www.findarticles.com/m0EIN/2000_Nov_9/66763701/p1/article.jhtml
>
>I suspect you just don't get mediocre programmers
>writing software used by a million people.  Except
>viruses.

Actually, Ray Ozzie is, from what I hear, supposed to be quite good.
But he alone wasn't enough, and the other stories I hear about the
Notes team (from as early as like 1993/1994) is that the people were
mostly not too hot.

I certainly understand the effect of good software being inherited by
"bad" people....