Re: Can Ada by popularized faster ?

[Tom Moran <tmoran@bix.com>]

>Think of why C got so popular: The language itself wasn't the issue - it
>was all the other things that were bundled around it. The Unix OS, Lots

Thinking about the development and spreading of Unix/C in particular,
and Netscape and Java to some extent, I draw these lessons:
 
Technical: Create a product that has at least some improvements over the
competition that you can hang your hat on.  But it can have deficiencies
too - ignore them.
 
Economics: Substantially underprice your competition, at least until
you've crushed him.  Giving away your product when your competition
charges thousands is best.  Note that the price of the competitive
product is zero to any potential customer who already has it.  You must
compete against something that will actually cost him money.
 
Sociology: Get lots of (unpaid) folks working for you in R&D and sales.
E.g. get grad students or moonlighting programmers to make add-ons that
add value to your product.  As a by-product, they will encourage the use
of whatever they are expert in - namely your product.
 
Psychology: Financial motivation of buyers, developers, and salesman, as
above, is necessary, but psychology is what will really put them 'over
the top'.  Use such things as aesthetic, moral, or in-group arguments,
ie, your product is more 'elegant', the competition is a nasty giant
corporation (or Bill Gates), people who don't see the light are
dinosaurs, etc.
 
Financing: Selling something to a large market is a big job and,
especially with 'crush the competition' pricing, will take a long to
time return the investment. Try to get someone else - telephone users, a
university, the government, or a corporation or individual with very
deep pockets, to finance the project.