language and licence pros and cons

[pressio main]

Hi all. I'm starting a broad language and license discussion on http://www.delphi.com/pressio_consult/ and this looks like a good place to kick it off, I reproduce a post below. We can keep the discussion in this group, and I can put a pointer to it from Delphi and Pressio.   {Pressio is a non-profit startup, with some interesting programming, database, social, political, and legal challenges. Read all about it at http://www.pressio.com/pressio/discuss/white.htm (soon to be pressio.org).}   In choosing a language for building Big Archive applications such as Bazedra, Vox Pop, and Academia, what are the key evaluation criteria? Popularity, flexibilty, ease of use, cross-platform compatibility, license costs and restrictions, the potential to persist... I don't suggest that either the information stored in the Big Archive or the applications must last hundreds and thousands of years with zero maintenance or evolution, can't predict that far; but I don't want to lead developers up a dead end. For example, if Sun tried to evolve increasing platform-specifics into a popular JAVA, a massive re-write in another language could be required for Pressio, and many others. If the fate of a language is vested in a small group, is that ok? What happens when the current generation die, who will protect the language and keep the spirit alive ? What is the best language for Pressio ? How sure can we be that it will remain that way ? Is a de Jure standard necesary ? Thanks for your thoughts in advance, Tom Cowap +++sig++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ We don't deal the deck down here, we just play the odds - Randall Patrick McMurphy (Jack nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest) +++sig++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++