TUNES Update

[M. Edward (Ed) Borasky]

Tom Novelli wrote:
> 3. Future Directions
>
> I'd like to start a discussion on the "ideal" framework for organizing 
> information, with an eye toward future versions of the website CMS.  
> Issues include metadata, versioning, multiple users, distributed 
> storage and migration.
>
> New major versions of Python, Ruby, Perl and Javascript are in the 
> planning stages, probably for the next 2-4 years.  They're all talking 
> about static typing, native compilation, real GC, and so on -- and 
> borrowing heavily from one another.  These languages won't give up 
> their individuality yet, but a "common core" is entirely possible.  
> This has the potential to make TUNES a reality, in large part.  If we 
> do our homework, this could be an opportune time to weigh in.
Well ... I just got back from the Mountain West Ruby Conference, which 
featured an implementer's summit. The "Ruby Roadmap" looks a lot like a 
three-horse race. Ruby on the Java Virtual Machine looks like the horse 
to beat at this stage. At least Sun is backing it up with marketing 
muscle and yet keeping it open source. Number 2 is a clever hack called 
Rubinius that's inspired by Smalltalk/Squeak -- do everything you can in 
Ruby and only have C where it's absolutely required. And number 3 (right 
now) is the so-called "MRI" (Matz' Reference Implementation).

See my blog for (a little) more detail. 
http://borasky-research.blogspot.com/2007/03/and-winner-is.html. In any 
event, if you're looking for the "ideal framework for organizing 
information", I don't think either conventional computer science or 
today's or even next year's programming languages have much to offer 
that we haven't already seen. I personally think Erlang is the future, 
but then, I'm a queuing theory freak and anything named after one of the 
pioneers is going to get my attention.

-- 
M. Edward (Ed) Borasky, FBG, AB, PTA, PGS, MS, MNLP, NST, ACMC(P)
http://borasky-research.blogspot.com/

If God had meant for carrots to be eaten cooked, He would have given rabbits fire.