The Next Big Language

[Jonathan M Davis]

On Monday 18 October 2010 01:34:51 dennis luehring wrote:
> > My question is how many D like languages came up with an open source
> > compiler? Why do people keep using that argument again and again?
> 
> and second
> 
> how many of these "other" languages got an community driven development
> processes (aren't there always "these five keyplayers" around?)
 
Java was big long before it was open-sourced, and C# is big in spite of the fact 
that its main compiler isn't open source and the one that is (Mono) is so far 
behind the main one that many people totally discount it. Sure, C and C++ have 
open source compilers, but most people that use them on Windows use Visual 
Studio (which obviously isn't open source).

There _are_ definitely big languages out there with open source compilers, but 
many of them don't. So, personally, I really don't understand the whole open 
source complaint either. A compiler is a tool to get things done. Sure, it's 
nice if it's free, and having it be open source is that much better, but the 
real question is how well it does its job. If it cost me $1000 to get the closed 
source compiler for the perfect language which would make my programming life a 
total breeze, I'd likely pay it (though obviously at $1000, it's not something 
to rush into). Having an open source implementation really only matters to me 
insomuch as I might be concerned that the compiler will become unavailable at a 
later date due to the company going out of business or something similarly 
catastrophic.

I really don't understand the complaints about the lack of an open source 
compiler for D, but then again, I've always been pro-open source and anti-free 
software (I think that the FSF is nuts, personally), so that may be why.

- Jonathan M Davis