Re: Java GOOD -- Fire BAD

[Michael Vanier <address@hidden>]

> Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2003 15:27:42 -0700
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> From: Colin Putney <cputney@wiresong.ca>
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> 
> On Wednesday, August 20, 2003, at 01:39  PM, Perry E. Metzger wrote:
> 
> > I think the environment is changing. The possibility of selling Lisp
> > into large organizations right now is better than it has been in 15 or
> > 20 years.
> 
> I'm curious as to why you think this. I've got the same hunch about my 
> favourite language - Smalltalk - but I can't really put my finger on 
> any compelling evidence that this is so.
> 
> Colin
> 

One word: python.

Python is both a lisp-lite and a smalltalk-lite and many successful
real-world projects have been built using it.  It's also very novice
friendly.  After learning python, moving to java, lisp or smalltalk is not
that big of a jump.  The python community also likes to play with language
extensions (generators, metaclasses) which naturally leads the way into
other language paradigms.  So just as java may have made the world accept
GC, python has IMO made the average programmer much more receptive to some
of the ideas in lisp, smalltalk etc. (macros excluded).  Python is kind of
a "bridge language" in this sense.  It certainly served that role for me.
After working in python I was much more receptive to the ideas in scheme
and smalltalk.

Mike