🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1996Apr11.184145.17550@slc.com> aland@servio.slc.com (Alan Darlington) writes:

>Todd Hoff <tmh@possibility.com> writes:
>> The why did not smalltalk take off?

>Some think it is...  :-)  Historically, lack of availability, high
>cost, high learning curve, the reluctance of managers to risk their
>necks on unproven (i.e. IBM is not using it  :-) technology, etc.

Ah, but they are, and have been since long before they were
selling Smalltalk themselves.

>Being better (IMHO) does not guarantee success.

Define "success."  If it means "taking over the world," then
Smalltalk is not succeeding, and neither is any other language
except C and C++.  If it means "gaining a profitable and 
sustainable market share," then Smalltalk appears to be 
succeeding.  Actual success depends heavily on a market
perception of success, and hence has a strongly emotional
basis.  Snob appeal doesn't sell very well with software, and
"better" is often perceived as "harder to use," regardless of
whether the latter is accurate.

"Worse is better."  - Richard Gabriel

Since being "better" usually costs *a lot* more, it makes 
large-scale success much more difficult, unless one is able 
to apply strong marketing and accept initial losses to gain 
market share.   Your pricing analysisis quite apropos.  Also, the 
average application isn't very far up on the complexity curve, 
and hence doesn't require the capabilities of a language such 
as Smalltalk.

(I think there's a lot to be said for slow, steady growth - which 
is what seems to be happening with Smalltalk - rather than 
explosive growth.   Rapid growth can easily result in a backlash 
effect due to premature application, and the resulting problems.  
When a technology has the chance to mature over time, being 
gradually applied more broadly as it becomes proven to be 
effective, longevity is more likely.) 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
William D. Gooch
RothWell International
goochb@rwi.com
Texas liaison for the International Programmers Guild
For information on IPG, see http://www.ipgnet.com/ipghome.htm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~