[REBOL] Re: Rebol SDK vs Command
From: greg::schofield::iinet::net::au at: 15-Sep-2007 11:06
Carl, I for one see problems with core code becoming open-source.
Bloat and extras, have a terrible effect especially on a language like REBOL, I would
not like it to folloow Python.
On the other hand LUA has managed to keep its core "pure" and small and effectively the
source available to anyone - its problem seems to be that it has become a language imbedded
in a lot of software but not cohereing into an environment.
I am obviously very new and ignornant, but one way I see REBOL standing out is as an
application environment, indeed a see it as having a possible future as THE application
environment in a lot of areas.
Diverse hosting is a problem, small OSes need to easily have REBOL ported to them without
central responsiblity for doing it.
Another way of seeing things develop, business and technology wise is to find a good
niche for REBOL's Wildman project - that is a fixed architecture machine/console with
a large enough market to supply the capital to port hosted REBOL consistantly over all
OSes, more or less, without exception.
Obviously I am thinking of the PS3 and PSP market and ancillaries to this as a begining
point, but a modest number of PDAs and powerful multipurpose Phones and other fixed-architecture
HW would form a strong starting base.
The problem then is to have at least common productivity software genres, and familar
functions and extensions, to make REBOL Wildman worth buying.
The thrid option, is to make REBOL core source available, on an as is basis - a licensing
agreement (how the hell it would be enforced I don't know) where the source can only
be used for porting and only "adpated" for that purpose.
But once released there is no getting things back, multiple slightly incompatible REBOLs,
or REBOL itself bloating because of innovations elsewhere with the source code would
in my opinion be no good.
I prefer the Wildman approach, one because it is sorely needed. A miniscule OS and a
script based application environment resting on generalised compiled "plugins" is my
idea of the future for computing - I believe we have reached the end of a blind alley
with OS development in its current form - the Wildman approach seems to cut through bloat
elegantly.
Bloat and application quarantine (each app being a world unto itself) seems to me the
major issues before the industry. REBOL's business future, and langauge future seems
bound into one.
Greg Schofield
Perth Australia
--- Message Received ---
From: Carl Read <carl-cybercraft.co.nz>
To: rebolist-rebol.com
Reply-To: rebolist-rebol.com
Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2007 11:53:06 +1200
Subject: [REBOL] Re: Rebol SDK vs Command
On Friday, 14-September-2007 at 12:01:28 Gregg Irwin wrote,
>I'm not sure what products are what anymore,
Which succinctly sums up RT's problems as a 'business'. It doesn't open-source, so REBOL
can't become a popular language, and it doesn't do the business basics to make it succeed
as closed-source software.
-- Carl Read.
