[PRL] Fwd: ACM TechNews - Wednesday, December 14, 2005

[Matthias Felleisen]

WSJ on the proliferation of PLs:

`
"Computer Languages Multiply, Pleasing Many--But Not All"
Wall Street Journal (12/14/05) P. B1; Gomes, Lee
While the proliferation of languages has been a boon to software 
programmers, the extensive variety often frustrates their bosses and 
confounds the larger software companies. C and the subsequent C++ may 
be the most popular languages in use today, but any programmer working 
on the Web must also include languages such as Perl, Python, PHP, and 
TCL in his resume. The explosion has been partially fueled by the 
ability of an individual programmer or a small group to create and 
market a language, as was the case with Ruby on Rails, which became an 
overnight sensation thanks to a 15-minute demonstration video the 
Danish programmer David Hansson circulated over the Web. Once a 
language has gained a core following, blogs and Web sites appear to 
track its developments. Many languages owe their origins to small 
design firms trying to make a commercial success of themselves, while 
others are labors of love, as is the case with many open source 
projects. As new languages continue to emerge, however, more 
programmers are defecting from mainstream systems such as .NET and Java 
in favor of niche offerings that are more tailored to a specific 
project. CIOs are often assailed by complaints from their programmers 
when they try to impose restrictions on the number of languages that 
are permissible. While it has been demonstrated theoretically that each 
language is the rough equivalent of any other, it is no more likely for 
a consensus to appear within the programming community than it is for a 
single car to be met with a universal embrace from the entire fleet of 
motorists.
'

This is from the mostly useless TechNews thingie.


-- Matthias


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> Date: December 14, 2005 4:36:33 PM EST
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> Subject: ACM TechNews - Wednesday, December 14, 2005
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>
>
> HEADLINES AT A GLANCE:
>
> Tech Group Blasts Federal Leadership on Cyber-Security
> Can State Ignore Its E-Vote Laws?
> About That Engineering Gap...
> Award-Winning Mobile Multimedia Project Bridges Art and Engineering
> It's Gee-Whiz for the Golden Years
> The Baltic Life: Hot Technology for Chilly Streets
> Computer Languages Multiply, Pleasing Many--But Not All
> To Tomorrow and Beyond
> Taking on Rootkits With Hardware
> Technology Leadership Is Key to Security
> IT Sector Joins Forces to Remove Barriers to Women
> E-Voting Deadline Looms
> Program Sorts Terrorism Data
> Steady Growth Triggers Optimism Among IT Pros
> From "Toy Story" to "Chicken Little"
> New Brain Trust to Work Like the Web
> The Engineers Are Feeling Gloomy
> Streamlined Databases Drive Military Simulation
>
> ?
>
> "Tech Group Blasts Federal Leadership on Cyber-Security"
>
>
> The Cyber Security Industry Alliance on Tuesday lambasted the Bush 
> administration for its failure to address the proliferation of online 
> crime, arguing that the absence of leadership and accountability 
> endangers the economic and national security of the U.S. The group 
> called ...
>
> [read more]? ? ? to the top
>
> "Can State Ignore Its E-Vote Laws?"
>
>
> North Carolina election officials will appear in court this week to 
> defend against allegations they ignored the state's laws on the 
> certification of e-voting machines. The Electronic Frontier Foundation 
> (EFF) has leveled the charges against the Board of Elections and the 
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>
> [read more]? ? ? to the top
>
> "About That Engineering Gap..."
>
>
> A team of Duke researchers has found that statistics commonly cited to 
> compare the number of engineering graduates in the U.S. with other 
> nations are inaccurate, and that the U.S. actually produces more 
> graduates than India, and that China's numbers are inflated, writes 
> Duke ...
>
> [read more]? ? ? to the top
>
> "Award-Winning Mobile Multimedia Project Bridges Art and Engineering"
>
>
> Helsinki University doctoral candidate Jurgen Schieble has developed 
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> the Best Arts Paper at ACM's Multimedia 2005 conference in Singapore. 
> Combining Schieble's musical skill and mobile technology expertise, 
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>
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>
> "It's Gee-Whiz for the Golden Years"
>
>
> In a departure from the traditional focus on youth, miniaturization, 
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>
> "The Baltic Life: Hot Technology for Chilly Streets"
>
>
> Estonia has become an incubator of successful technology companies one 
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> capital. The former Soviet Union country in Eastern Europe on the 
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>
> [read more]? ? ? to the top
>
> "Computer Languages Multiply, Pleasing Many--But Not All"
>
>
> While the proliferation of languages has been a boon to software 
> programmers, the extensive variety often frustrates their bosses and 
> confounds the larger software companies. C and the subsequent C++ may 
> be the most popular languages in use today, but any programmer working 
> on the ...
>
> [read more]? ? ? to the top
>
> "To Tomorrow and Beyond"
>
>
> The world's fastest supercomputers, already at work solving some of 
> the most complex scientific problems, are likely to see a fourfold 
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>
> [read more]? ? ? to the top
>
> "Taking on Rootkits With Hardware"
>
>
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>
> "Technology Leadership Is Key to Security"
>
>
> Leadership in the technology realm is fast becoming the lynch pin of 
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>
> "IT Sector Joins Forces to Remove Barriers to Women"
>
>
> Australia's tech industry has developed a mentoring program with hopes 
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> The Women in IT Executive Mentoring (Witem) Program is designed to 
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>
> "E-Voting Deadline Looms"
>
>
> Election officials in the states that accepted a portion of the $3.2 
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>
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>
> "Program Sorts Terrorism Data"
>
>
> UCLA researchers Rafail Ostrovsky and William Skeith have created code 
> that organizes online gathering, encryption, and discarding of 
> terrorist-related information without anyone having knowledge of what 
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> currently use a method where ...
>
> [read more]? ? ? to the top
>
> "Steady Growth Triggers Optimism Among IT Pros"
>
>
> The Canadian high-tech sector is on an even keel with pay levels that 
> show smooth and stable growth, reveals a recent survey by Mercer Human 
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>
> "From "Toy Story" to "Chicken Little""
>
>
> Computer animation in the movies has made astounding leaps and bounds 
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>
> "New Brain Trust to Work Like the Web"
>
>
> Informatics software maker Teranode and Science Commons plan to launch 
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>
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>
> "The Engineers Are Feeling Gloomy"
>
>
> Findings from a new survey are in line with recent reports that have 
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> field. The more than 4,000 engineers surveyed by Portland technology 
> public relations firm McClenahan Bruer Communications and CMP Media of 
> Manhasset, ...
>
> [read more]? ? ? to the top
>
> "Streamlined Databases Drive Military Simulation"
>
>
> The fidelity and reliability of military simulations is steadily 
> improving thanks to advances in display technology, data processing, 
> portability, and, most importantly, software. Among the challenges of 
> modern-day military simulation is the construction of digitized 
> environments from ...
>
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