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Given the amount of comments on Scala (positive or negative, that's irrelevant) I'm not so sure it will be a fringe language for long. It must be somehow releva

Given the amount of comments on Scala (positive or negative, that's irrelevant) I'm not so sure it will be a fringe language for long. It must be somehow relevant for so many people to spend so much time talking about it...

mgkimsal 15y ago
I disagree that the positive/negative is irrelevant. Much of the discussion around Scala has been around how complicated it is, and ensuing discussions about how the person who thinks it's confusing is not smart enough, and how Scala is the "right way" to do things, because it's elegant, etc. Having a lot of those sorts of comments I don't think will guarantee future success.
- pvillega 15y ago
  I meant irrelevant to the fact that they are talking about it. Obviously, if they mention negative points on the language (and those points are true) it's bad for the language. If it's pure FUD it's also bad, yes. But even if it's only to spew hate, the fact that so many people talk about it, must mean something. Too much attention for a fringe language...
- michaels0620 15y ago
  I am a half step above a blub, but I've been doing some work in Scala and generally enjoy it. I do, however, think the Scala community needs to have a more convincing reply to the complexity argument than "You aren't smart enough to see its brilliance". My fear is that if things don't change, Scala will fall into a perl-like situation where it won't be able to shake its reputation and people will reject the language out of hand before taking a look at what it has to offer.
  - jebberjeb 15y ago
    It's too late for that. Scala's community has been branded as a bunch of condescending intellectuals. Just like Ruby's community was branded as a bunch of pierced, macbook users in 2005. Neither are really true -- but first impressions mean everything.
    - latchkey 15y ago
      Comments like that always remind me of this image... http://www.picshag.com/show.php?f=pics/112010/java-c-php-ruby-as-seen-by-fanboys-big.jpg http://www.picshag.com/show.php?f=pics/112010/java-c-php-rub...
- gclaramunt 15y ago
  To be fair, most of the "not smart enough for Scala" comments come from people who don't like Scala and complains that the "average Java programmer" (whatever that means) won't get it ( which I find very insulting )
  - soc88 15y ago
    Exactly. Those “type systems experts” and “academics” who usually get bashed for mocking “Java Joe”s are normally those who say “have a look at it, it isn't hard”.
- soc88 15y ago
  What makes it even more disturbing is that those who say “it is too complicated” are the arm-chair experts who never used the language (just have a look at the recent flame baits). :-/
brazzy 15y ago
A lot of people spent a lot of time talking about Lisp machines, 4GL, web portals, push technologies... the list goes on.
- sp332 15y ago
  4GL like SQL? Push technologies like SMS, IM, and websockets? You could use better examples :)
  - brazzy 15y ago
    I think I got the number wrong; 5GL was the "generation" that really fizzled. As for "push technologies", that is of course a much too broad term. I was thinking specifically of PointCast, which I believe brought the technical term into the business-hype limelight.

mgkimsal 15y ago

I disagree that the positive/negative is irrelevant. Much of the discussion around Scala has been around how complicated it is, and ensuing discussions about how the person who thinks it's confusing is not smart enough, and how Scala is the "right way" to do things, because it's elegant, etc. Having a lot of those sorts of comments I don't think will guarantee future success.

pvillega 15y ago
I meant irrelevant to the fact that they are talking about it. Obviously, if they mention negative points on the language (and those points are true) it's bad for the language. If it's pure FUD it's also bad, yes. But even if it's only to spew hate, the fact that so many people talk about it, must mean something. Too much attention for a fringe language...
michaels0620 15y ago
I am a half step above a blub, but I've been doing some work in Scala and generally enjoy it. I do, however, think the Scala community needs to have a more convincing reply to the complexity argument than "You aren't smart enough to see its brilliance". My fear is that if things don't change, Scala will fall into a perl-like situation where it won't be able to shake its reputation and people will reject the language out of hand before taking a look at what it has to offer.
- jebberjeb 15y ago
  It's too late for that. Scala's community has been branded as a bunch of condescending intellectuals. Just like Ruby's community was branded as a bunch of pierced, macbook users in 2005. Neither are really true -- but first impressions mean everything.
  - latchkey 15y ago
    Comments like that always remind me of this image... http://www.picshag.com/show.php?f=pics/112010/java-c-php-ruby-as-seen-by-fanboys-big.jpg http://www.picshag.com/show.php?f=pics/112010/java-c-php-rub...
gclaramunt 15y ago
To be fair, most of the "not smart enough for Scala" comments come from people who don't like Scala and complains that the "average Java programmer" (whatever that means) won't get it ( which I find very insulting )
- soc88 15y ago
  Exactly. Those “type systems experts” and “academics” who usually get bashed for mocking “Java Joe”s are normally those who say “have a look at it, it isn't hard”.
soc88 15y ago
What makes it even more disturbing is that those who say “it is too complicated” are the arm-chair experts who never used the language (just have a look at the recent flame baits). :-/

brazzy 15y ago

A lot of people spent a lot of time talking about Lisp machines, 4GL, web portals, push technologies... the list goes on.

sp332 15y ago
4GL like SQL? Push technologies like SMS, IM, and websockets? You could use better examples :)
- brazzy 15y ago
  I think I got the number wrong; 5GL was the "generation" that really fizzled. As for "push technologies", that is of course a much too broad term. I was thinking specifically of PointCast, which I believe brought the technical term into the business-hype limelight.