Re: Build language with weak typing, then add scaffolding later to strengthen it?

[jan.de.kruyf@gmail.com]

Well,
Here is my 2 cents worth:

I learned to program in basic and assembler in the 70's. Then I dabbled a bit in C and forgot quickly I ever did such a thing.

All this until I found old Wirth's last creation: Oberon. I performed wonders in that language, with just a post-mortem stackframe debugger, if you can call it that.

Strongly typed, concise, object oriented were I needed that, and expressive enough to do everything that needs doing, for any size project.
And to cap it all the latest RM is all of 17 pages. 

Does that mean I have something against Ada? No not really, it is a very nice and cosy work environment, I enjoy it. But I will surely enjoy the day when the language lawyers learn to stop being logical and start to think, to quote Niels Bohr.

The simple fact that there is only 17 pages to learn off by hart makes a person that knows the trade extremely productive. And far fewer mistakes are made as a result _because we know what we are doing_ and we are willing to do it!. The same cannot be said for Ada. If I must count the hours searching out how to do a thing in Ada, then it will not be very far of trying to figure out how to interface with C for instance.
Please people if the basics are in place we do not need 1200 pages of ifs and buts. It is nonsense.

All it does is show that show that we have the money and the brain power to carry on on the road chosen, just like has happened in any other language, as was enumerated above in this thread.

Again I do not mean to say I have something against Ada, I enjoy it.

But I do say that old Dijkstra was right when he said that Ada was a mess. We merely managed to make the mess managable enough since then, so we can work and so that it is at least better than some of the other creations around.

Do I mean to say that George and Randy and Dmitry and others are not working hard and putting in lots of valuable time to make Ada better, off course not. I am merely making a plea for lean and mean. Because I know it _works_.

Thank you

j.