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Postings from February 2007
> On 5 Feb 2007, at 21:51, jesse wrote:
>> It seems to me like part of the PR role is to manage expectations and
>> explain WHY Perl 6 isn't out now and why we don't promise a release
>> date
* Andy Armstrong (andy@hexten.net) [070205 22:20]:
> *In PR terms* the problem is that development of the next version of
> Perl seems to have no schedule. The existence of the Perl 6 project
> overshadows the fact that the Perl 5 line is very much alive.
Perl6 started off as a swift upgrade of Perl5. Of course, we all know by
now that it grew into a totally new language based on the Perl5 heritage.
From the idea of "upgrade", it was decided that Perl6 could only be
released when it was complete (otherwise it is not an upgrade). However,
when you combine that with the requirement that Perl6 is "the grandmother
of all existing and future languages", you get into a never-ending story.
IMO, the best thing what can happen to Perl6 is an official release
which is declared to be usable but not complete. Then, people may
start taking Perl development serious again.
When we get (Linux)distributions to include (prelimary, half-way)
versions of Perl6 and Parrot, then in 3 years time most PCs will have
it installed. Maybe, at that time, people recognize that there is a
Perl6 language they can use. Of course, they will soon discover that
they have to upgrade, but that's not a problem.
Let us take the list of designed Perl6 features, and see how much of it is
required by 90% of the users. If that size of audience is supported then
6.0.0 should be released. Other stuff should be part of 6.1.0 or later.
As example, it is much more important to redevelop DBI into Perl6
than to have a stable threading model. But we focus on the latter.
The best way to get a large project under control, is by breaking it
up in a sufficient number of steps, each setting a realistic higher
target. One way to salvage the Perl6 project.
--
Regards,
MarkOv
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Mark Overmeer MSc MARKOV Solutions
Mark@Overmeer.net solutions@overmeer.net
http://Mark.Overmeer.net http://solutions.overmeer.net