[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.