Two issues with your reasoning, Ben: (A) Actually, EJB 2.0, as horrid as it is, has plenty of replacement cogs. Though, while a bad example, your argument is still sound; there's plenty of times a somewhat obscure library is used.
(B) Libraries tend to be a productivity smasher. As in, if you DONT use a certain library, you are doomed to write it all yourself, obliterating productivity on a scale of 100 - 1 easily (A project that would take 2 manmonths then takes 200). There's absolutely no way switching to scala from java is going to win you anything anywhere remotely close to 100x1. One could argue its never a big improvement but you get it every time you're coding, of course, but that's not how a PHB thinks. Now, I don't care about PHBs (I have the luxury that I can quit if some braindead asshat is my boss, and one of my life lessons to anyone who will listen is that you can't put a price on that kind of peace of mind), and I don't think Scala's problem is PHBs either, but taking your argument on face value and positing for a moment that this is a serious hinder to scala uptake, especially rejoinder B seems to be the clear bright line between new language and new API. On Aug 2, 1:29 pm, B Smith-Mannschott <[email protected]> wrote: > On Sun, Aug 1, 2010 at 15:15, Fabrizio Giudici > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > Let's now assume that Victor is right, that is he saturated his > > potential with Java and he only can improve with Scala. So, for his > > own advantage, he's right in moving to Scala. Now, I can't be sure > > that Victor will always work for me. If at a certain point he decides > > to leave, he'll carry with him his Scala skills and he'll be able to > > spend them wherever he likes. Instead, I'm left alone. Victor is sure > > that what's planning for himself in a medium/long perspective can be > > achieved (unless he wins the Bingo and retires); I can't because a > > perspective of one year might be jeopardized by the fact that Victor > > might be leaving me earlier. So, the better solution for _him_ is not > > the better solution for _me_. It's not reasonable to discuss the > > possible success of a programming technology in the industry from the > > developer perspective, since developers aren't the one who make decisions. > > Isn't this the old "I can't find replacement cogs for X, so let's not > use X" argument? There's some validty to this, but I've always > wondered: Why do we only hear this when it comes to *new scary > languages*, but never libraries, APIs, etc.? > > How is it that (we suppose) the PHBs have the world run screaming in > terror from Scala, and yet think nothing of subjecting their entire > organization to EJB 2.0? Websphere? DOM? > > Somehow a huge API and a pile of XML configuration crapventions is OK, > but OMG where's my semicolon is a crisis!? > > Somehow I'm missing the clear bright line between "new language" (hard > to learn) and "new API" (we can just hire anyone off the street). > > Seeking enlightenment > > // Ben -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "The Java Posse" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en.
