Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ames.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!godot!harvard!seismo!umcp-cs!gymble!lll-crg!dual!ames!eugene From: eugene@ames.UUCP (Eugene Miya) Newsgroups: net.lang,net.lang.pascal Subject: Re: How Do Languages Become Popular? Message-ID: <850@ames.UUCP> Date: Wed, 6-Mar-85 11:49:50 EST Article-I.D.: ames.850 Posted: Wed Mar 6 11:49:50 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 9-Mar-85 07:25:56 EST Distribution: net Organization: NASA-Ames Research Center, Mtn. View, CA Lines: 17 Xref: watmath net.lang:1502 net.lang.pascal:262 i tried posting this once before and i suspect our news feed was down. it does warrent discussion. i saw this with the development of pascal and then with c as a part of unix ports: the issue is the popularity of porting a compiler implementation, P4 for pascal and pcc for c, rather than just the language. i am surprised that no one has mentioned the fact that most compilers for these and other languages began with versions of 'portable' compilers. i detect a number of 'darwinian' effects: faster, more syntax compatible across manufacturer compilers in contrast to older languages. --eugene miya NASA Ames Research Center {hplabs,ihnp4,dual,hao,vortex}!ames!aurora!eugene emiya@ames-vmsb.ARPA