[REBOL] REBOL v LISP
From: geoff:productivity at: 19-May-2001 14:08
Carl wrote:
> People on this list are pretty burnt out with language comparison
> discussions. Most of us have concluded: use the language that you like.
I appreciate that this is a tiresome for those already working with a
language. But there are only two ways to discover if it is likely to be a
language that you like
. One is to spend a few weeks learning it and doing
some coding, the other is to ask those with existing experience. So I very
much appreciate the time everyone took to respond - it greatly accelerates
the decision process.
> I deeply respect what Lisp is and what its strengths are. However, as a
> lisper, I've concluded that most users do not value the purity of it.
> Users are pragmatic. They want results. They want expressiveness.
> They want readability. They do not want a sharp learning curve but
> rather a smooth learning curve.
>
Yes, Lisp does seem to offer a very steep learning curve - even the Lisp
environments are intimidating.... My first impression is that Rebol reveals
its power in a more gradual way.
> Also, the primary reason that I created REBOL was that I wanted more than
> just a programming language. I wanted a way to write applications that
> would run on any machine, and more importantly, that could
intercommunicate with
> programs on any machine.
Point taken. I have taken a quick look at a number of less mainstream
languages, and the libraries tend to be very incomplete. The developers seem
to be more interested in the formal qualities of their language than in
providing the library code people need to do work in the real world. The
protocols and APIs you need to do real work just aren't on offer. With
Rebol, it looks as if you can get right down to doing productive work.
I think I will give it a try....
Once again, thanks for the input
Geoff Caplan
