Subject: Re: Number of programmers From: Erik Naggum <erik@naggum.net> Date: Sun, 02 Dec 2001 12:45:21 GMT Newsgroups: comp.lang.lisp Message-ID: <3216285919295326@naggum.net> * pjdurai@hotmail.com (pj) | I am not knocking lisp. YOu are clearly blaming Lisp users for their "attitude" and posit that such an attitude has an effect on the number of users. This is quite extraordinarily unwarranted. | What I was critisizing was what I saw as an unnecessary and summary | [probably undeserved] judegement about the intelligence of another | programming community. The _only_ aspect of human performance that is ever criticized when it is pointed out that some people are better than others, is intelligence. Some people are so hysterical about this aspect that they think high intelligence societies are tantamount to evil conspiracies. | On a different note, I get mixed up signals from lisp community. | Lispers seem to want Lisp to get popular (constant lamenting that lisp | doesnt get what it deserves.. and the potshots and sniping at perl and | C++ ..) AND at the same time want lisp programming to be exclusive. (the | insistance that lisp is only for smart people.. sniping at unwashed | masses ...). I doubt that any of those would be satisfied no matter what would happen. A complaint without a "path to resolution" is just useless whining and should be brought to a stop. Usually, however, whiners will think they are _entitled_ to express their general dislike of the universse when it does not match their expectations. By the way, the "community" does not speak with one voice, so "at the same time" is pretty meaningless. The dissatisfaction that some express with the language and everything else is probably only an excuse not to use Common Lisp -- sour grapes. The sense of negativity that they spread is insufficiently countered by those who do use Common Lisp profitably. /// -- The past is not more important than the future, despite what your culture has taught you. Your future observations, conclusions, and beliefs are more important to you than those in your past ever will be. The world is changing so fast the balance between the past and the future has shifted.