From mboxrd@z Thu Jan  1 00:00:00 1970
X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.4 (2020-01-24) on polar.synack.me
X-Spam-Level: 
X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.9 required=5.0 tests=BAYES_00 autolearn=ham
	autolearn_force=no version=3.4.4
X-Google-Thread: 103376,c406e0c4a6eb74ed
X-Google-Attributes: gid103376,public
X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII-7-bit
Path: 
 g2news1.google.com!news1.google.com!sn-xit-02!sn-xit-01!sn-post-01!supernews.com!corp.supernews.com!not-for-mail
From: Benjamin Ketcham <bketcham@drizzle.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.ada
Subject: Re: ADA Popularity Discussion Request
Date: Sun, 12 Sep 2004 06:05:25 -0000
Organization: Ye 'Ol Disorganized NNTPCache groupie
Message-ID: <1094969123.916821@yasure>
References: <49dc98cf.0408110556.18ae7df@posting.google.com>
   <vpblkhspuA9F@eisner.encompasserve.org>
 <e749549b.0409051449.574ec9ce@posting.google.com>
 <m3wtz7e4hd.fsf@rigel.goldenthreadtech.com>
 <413e2fbd$0$30586$626a14ce@news.free.fr>
 <e749549b.0409081708.60484f64@posting.google.com>
 <choh37$8i9$1@a1-hrz.uni-duisburg.de>
 <e749549b.0409101556.6bd1e4f6@posting.google.com>
 <1371289.WCcgO7lass@linux1.krischik.com> <1094926196.802462@yasure>
 <zi1oZiVz9I4A@eisner.encompasserve.org>
User-Agent: tin/1.6.2-20030910 ("Pabbay") (UNIX) (Linux/2.4.20-29.8.progeny.8
 (i686))
Cache-Post-Path: yasure!unknown@cascadia.drizzle.com
X-Cache: nntpcache 2.4.0b5 (see http://www.nntpcache.org/)
X-Complaints-To: abuse@supernews.com
Xref: g2news1.google.com comp.lang.ada:3606
Date: 2004-09-12T06:05:25+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>

Larry Kilgallen <Kilgallen@spamcop.net> wrote:
> In article <1094926196.802462@yasure>, Benjamin Ketcham <bketcham@drizzle.com> writes:
> 
>> K&R C can be criticized on many grounds, but "useful" is not
>> a valid one, IMO.  The original C was one of the most "useful"
>> languages we've seen.  Witness its rapid spread through
>> academia,
> 
> That was because of the low cost of the Unix/C combination to academia.

Yes, exactly.  Nothing makes a tool useful like *accessibility*.
Low cost plus source code equals accessible.

>> and later, industry.
> 
> That was because of the supply of academia-trained people accustomed to C.

Absolutely.  Ye olde positive feedback, aka snowball effect (as opposed
to SNOBOL).  Tools that are more useful, get used more, therefore more
people end up knowing how to use them, and of course a large user base
only makes the tool... yes, more useful.  OK, I think the horse is dead.