I think Scala has the potential to become a 15% language, by superceeding Java:
- It does everything Java does, usually better, and with less boilerplate - It can be written very much like Java at first, so the transition is easy - It adds type inference and closures, the two most heavily demanded features in Java - Defaults are far closer to currently accepted best practices; public by default, immutability, constructor injection, etc. - Great support for internal DSLs - Lots of work is being done on using Scala for concurrency, and our machines certainly aren't getting less concurrent! On 27 August 2010 09:07, Reinier Zwitserloot <[email protected]> wrote: > If this is your interpretation of what "programming language" means, > then my argument becomes quite a bit simpler: > > No programming language has ever become popular because of its > featureset. They lucked into it based on the features of platforms > which peddle that language as preferred language. > > Scala is not currently the official primary language for any platform. > Hence, history says it'll never become a 15%er. > > Your further music analogy made absolutely no sense to me. Do you not > understand me when I talk about how no truly popular language (>15% > worldwide usage at some point in time) has ever had nice syntax? I > have been highlighting a number of scala syntax features which I feel > are misguided, but that's a different argument altogether: Let's > hypothetically state that Scala syntax is awesome. I'm trying to tell > you that history indicates this does not meaningfully relate to scala > ever becoming a 15%er. > > On Aug 27, 2:44 am, Josh Berry <[email protected]> wrote: > > On Aug 26, 4:53 pm, Reinier Zwitserloot <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > If you think "Pattern Matching" counts as something you can do in > > > scala but can't in java, I must not have made my argument clear. > > > That's just syntax sugar. Nice syntax sugar, surely, but syntax sugar > > > nonetheless. What I'm talking about, is things like: > > > > What else is a language, but the niceties the syntax gives you? You > > go on to list a ton of features that, yes I can get with Java. But > > using them doesn't suck with Scala. > > > > I think the analogies here have been wrong. Instead of comparing to > > other tools or toys, why not instruments? The JVM could be something > > akin to the guitar. Most people playing it are actually really good > > at reading tablature music, but not so much at reading sheet music. > > This actually works mostly well, as there is little that I think can't > > be written this way. In programming speak, tablature would be the > > typical boilerplate that Java requires with a very verbose "your > > finger goes here" kind of style. > > > > Some of us, though, want to move beyond tablature. To a place where > > we understand the intricacies of the abstractions we have in fact > > always been using. Hopefully to the point that we don't have to keep > > implementing these abstractions, but can instead simply describe > > them. (Instead of saying where the fingers go, as it were, simply > > describe what note should be played.) > > > > Does this mean that some people will have to learn more to read what > > we wrote? Almost undoubtedly. Just as to read a symphony I would > > have to learn to read sheet music. I can not see why this is a > > problem. I am not saying that it is beyond anyone. Just that they > > may have to learn a few things along the way. Hopefully I'll learn > > with them. :) > > -- > 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]<javaposse%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/javaposse?hl=en. > > -- Kevin Wright mail/google talk: [email protected] wave: [email protected] skype: kev.lee.wright twitter: @thecoda -- 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.
