[REBOL] Re: Scope? Any advice would be appreciated.
From: rebol:techscribe at: 30-Jan-2001 21:32
Hi David,
I was talking about versions of the software that came out in the mid or
late eighties. At the time the packages you mentioned were competing on
the DBMS market. I think this would also be true for 4GL languages, even
if they were not marketed as a companion product to a proprietary DBMS
technology. Their fate is determined by the dynamics of the DBMS market.
If a DBMS company eventually takes over a significant market share
(Oracle), then it sets standards not only with respect to the DBMS
itself, but also with respect to accompanying products.
I believe that, in contrast, REBOL is competing on what has been
traditionally the scripting or programming languages market. Here the
dynamics may be a little different. A DBMS oriented product (also 4GL)
will attempt to improve something with respect to existing DBMS
technologies. A programming or scripting language, on the other hand,
may include support for DBMSs to extend the sphere of influence of
programmers who use this language. These two distinct developments may
occassionally overlap, where a DBMS oriented shop will invest in a
scripting language because it feels that the language improves their
abilities to solve problems that are specific to their DBMS market, for
instance, but that does not mean that the fate of the language is has
now beomce dependent on the dynamics of the DBMS market, as a 4GL would
be.
Hope this clears it up,
Elan
