RE: PROJ: Flare

From: Reason (reason@exratio.com)
Date: Wed Jul 18 2001 - 03:03:11 MDT


[XML, Lisp, Flare stuff from Samantha and Eliezer snipped]

I have to throw in my 2c here; at this present time in the evolution of
computer languages, I'd say there really are only two choices in the
fundament of a self-modifying piece of code if you want the language to work
with you and save you time by its very structure. 1) would be Forth, and 2)
would be XML.

Now insofar as getting lots and lots of developers to work on your stuff for
free goes, you choose XML. XML is hot, it does everything you need, many,
many people are writing self-modifying software (and all sorts of other
software) on top of XML, there's a massive amount of development weight
behind developing XML-manipulation and utility code in other languages. Et
al.

Forth is used by the NSA and maybe ten to twenty companies worth knowing.

[Deep dark secret: cnbc.com runs on Forth. You didn't hear it from me.
There's an 8-bit JVM written in Forth for mobile phones too -- now that's
pretty twisted if you actually know Forth. Forth is pretty cool and very
easy to pick up...but no-one uses it. A big useful feature is that you can
alter and recompile any and all portions of code while the code is running.
Fun].

But enough about Forth. I had a misspent youth, I admit it.

So they're using XML as a basis for Flare and my CTOesque opinion is that
it's the best choice as an underpinning for what the Institute wants to do.

Reason
http://www.exratio.com/



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