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[REBOL] Re: Popularity

From: carl:cybercraft at: 29-Mar-2006 21:37

On Tuesday, 28-March-2006 at 22:08:42 rebOldes wrote,
>Hello Tim, > >Thursday, January 26, 2006, 12:00:30 AM, you wrote: > >TJ> * Carl Read <carl-cybercraft.co.nz> [060125 11:12]: >>> My feeling is it'll stay there too, unless plugins are released for >>> the main browsers (of all the main OSs) and it goes open-source. The >>> plugins are important as I think the browser is the desktop of the >>> future - think REBOL vs AJAX. And it needs to be open-source because > >TJ> Rebol could be awesome as an alternative to AJAX. > >AJAX is nothing, it's just a way how to call server without need to >reload all the page. How you can compare Rebol and AJAX?
I wasn't, but in-browser apps are gaining in popularity and it's a domain REBOL could be competing in. Till now, REBOL's been of most benifit to developers, as users haven't a clue what's running behind a website and View apps have a non-standard GUI for them to learn. Within the browser though, apps are non-standard by default and so REBOL's GUI wouldn't be a hinderance, so REBOL's speed and responsiveness would be an obvious plus to the user.
>I don't mind that people don't know Rebol yet. If they are >lucky with XML or anything else, let them be happy with that. >For me it's important that I can do what I do. >I event don't need the Rebol3 so much.
A programming language needs a reasonable amount of popularity before adverts for programmers in it will show up on a regular basis. And until they do, most programmers are not going to feel it's worth their while to learn it as it's not going to help them get a job. For REBOL to get out of that bind it'll need to obviously excel in some area or another. I think that area is in-browser apps. If there's two websites doing much the same thing and one is much faster and more responsive than the other, then all else being equal it's the faster one that's going to attract the users. And REBOL apps in a browser can even load fast on dialup. Get some users liking REBOL and the world will take notice. -- Carl Read.