From: mgarriss <mgarriss@...>
Date: 2003-08-22T12:56:18+09:00
Subject: Re: the fallacy of build it and they will come (was)

Mills Thomas (app1tam) wrote:

>Losing?  This thread is bizarre.  Are the 'Dulcimer Players of America'
>losing to the 'Piano Players International' because fewer people play
>dulcimers?  I hope you can say, 'of course not'.  
>
>How can a language lose?  
>
>If I spend my whole life raising only my two children, have I lost because
>someone else had a family of 12?  I don't think so.  
>
>How can a language lose?
>
>If Ruby-ites express great pleasure at coding in Ruby, the world has won.
>Because there are many more happy people.  That is what is needful.
>
>Some people will take great pleasure in Java.  I have laughed (a "wow, I'm
>feeling good" laugh) when coding in Perl.
>
>How can a language lose?  This question is so much less important than: "How
>can people lose?"  If people do not find joy, they lose.  When they find
>joy, they win.  And it seems like there are many joyful people here in
>c.l.ruby (aka ruby-talk).
>
>Matz: Congratz.  You spread joy.  This is a good lead to follow.
>
>Drew
>  
>

While I agree with you in princible I would have to point out that if a 
lang drops to just a few hundred users it becomes very hard to keep up 
with all the new and evoloving technologies and standards that a useful 
language should (dare I say 'must') support.

Michael