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[REBOL] Re: What language am I looking for?

From: kenneth:nwinet at: 13-May-2001 2:01

Thank you for your thoughtful response Dean, Dean Powell said:
> For me, the eternal quest has always been "What languages (plural) am I
looking for?" You described a programming language as being a tool in your toolbox which is certainly a useful metaphore. OTOH, Carl himself (and correct me if I'm wrong) likens Rebol to a natural language. There's the concept of dialects which I haven't fully grokked and that's ok. I don't know any mortal that understands all the dialects of a spoken language either, but that doesn't seem to limit us. People see Rebol as a cool networking language, but is that all it is? The English language is expressive and malleable; it has adapted to whatever people throw at it. I'm sure this is true of other spoken languages as well, my fiancee speaks several languages, but I find that one spoken language suits me fine. Although no example may exist, I still reject the status quo, which is that one language can not fill my needs. Of course I'm not going to rewrite a legacy system, but that's not the point. Starting today, could I use this language to do all the things I want to do? In the late 70's I thought Forth might fit the bill. It didn't. If you imagine me tilting at windmills, well... perhaps you have an insight into my soul. Somehow the object of my search seems to be just outside my grasp.
> Every language has its purpose. For me, the better question is: Does
REBOL fit in your toolkit? Yes for you there is a better question, but I don't think it takes anything away from my question... What language am I looking for? I enjoyed reading your post, Ken.