[REBOL] REALLY DISCOVER THE POWER OF REBOL Re:(4)
From: news:ted:husted at: 21-Sep-2000 18:06
On 9/21/2000 at 4:03 PM [RChristiansen--pop--isdfa--sei-it--com] wrote:
>RT depends on developers to create applications to show that REBOL is
a viable alternative.
In real life, it's never been about which platform is better, it's
always been about which applications are better.
Java was ignored for years (ironically, the years when we needed it the
most), until Sun finally wrote a browser with it. That was the proof of
concept that pulled Java up by it's bootstraps. It's not enough to roll
out the barrel, you have tap the keg.
Express could easily do this for REBOL, if it ever ships. But something
like it should have been done already. The RT team has poured out
dozens of sample scripts demonstrating useful snippets, but what's
really need is actual working applications. Successful language vendors
have often bundled fully functional text editors and databases with
their packages, or worked closely with tool vendors who write "the rest
of the language."
>Meanwhile, developers of the open source persuasion see tractor
application development as RT's responsibility, feeling REBOL itself
could be maintained by the open source community.
With the proper support structure, this community could definately help
with the development of REBOL, and release some of the paid staff for
other work.
But I sincerely doubt that REBOL Corporate has the proper mindset to
make open source work for them. Heck, unlike everyone else in the
industry, open or closed, they can't bear to publish so much as a bug
list.
-Ted.
