> Because the whole art of designing a programming language is in partly being physically ill in using some programming language that you decide is ugly.
and
> universities have become software engineering trade schools. They don’t produce scientists reaching for a romantic future.
The former because I've been working with programming language design and compilers since my university days -- and I've always had really strong opinions on programming languages (and usually very vocal about them!)... which is why I've ended up using Clojure and why I'm finally happy with a programming language in daily use!
The latter because I've often lamented the changes in how (and even if) Comp Sci is taught for its ability to teach people both important underpinnings and also the pure problem-solving aspect of it as a way of thinking.
Really good article -- and fascinating to read the Kay quotes about how things got designed and built!
Another factor is that the public was ready to form first impressions. You put a good idea in front of 100 people and you instantly advanced the state of progress. Now the market is larger, but everyone already has an Android phone, and Windows, and cash registers, and IT degrees that are founded on Powerpoint; 360 degrees of stuff that represents a huge sunk cost, so they are just not interested in good new ideas.
Innovation of Kay's stripe takes money. When there is no conceivable market, there is no money. So we will never know about the good ideas that died on (or before) the vine, but we can project one or two from the past. For example, all publications now spring from Microsoft Word. Nifty table tricks from WordStar are gone. Presentation effects from TeX have just about vanished. Relative to publications of the 1800s and early 1900s, we live in a poverty created by not only the stifling of innovation, but also the stifling of progress that wasn't adopted by the market leader.
Two things really connect with me in this:
> Because the whole art of designing a programming language is in partly being physically ill in using some programming language that you decide is ugly.
and
> universities have become software engineering trade schools. They don’t produce scientists reaching for a romantic future.
The former because I've been working with programming language design and compilers since my university days -- and I've always had really strong opinions on programming languages (and usually very vocal about them!)... which is why I've ended up using Clojure and why I'm finally happy with a programming language in daily use!
The latter because I've often lamented the changes in how (and even if) Comp Sci is taught for its ability to teach people both important underpinnings and also the pure problem-solving aspect of it as a way of thinking.
Really good article -- and fascinating to read the Kay quotes about how things got designed and built!
This is a good analysis that is applicable to other industries besides IT. Think far enough out, but not too far and not too close.
Another factor is that the public was ready to form first impressions. You put a good idea in front of 100 people and you instantly advanced the state of progress. Now the market is larger, but everyone already has an Android phone, and Windows, and cash registers, and IT degrees that are founded on Powerpoint; 360 degrees of stuff that represents a huge sunk cost, so they are just not interested in good new ideas.
Interesting. Can you name some good ideas from the last 30 years that people ignored?
Innovation of Kay's stripe takes money. When there is no conceivable market, there is no money. So we will never know about the good ideas that died on (or before) the vine, but we can project one or two from the past. For example, all publications now spring from Microsoft Word. Nifty table tricks from WordStar are gone. Presentation effects from TeX have just about vanished. Relative to publications of the 1800s and early 1900s, we live in a poverty created by not only the stifling of innovation, but also the stifling of progress that wasn't adopted by the market leader.