[jacquesm]

Absolutely, but it certainly doesn't help either.

It's like with foreign languages, if you have to learn a new language but at least their pronunciation rules and alphabet are the same as the one that you already know how to use the barrier is a lot lower than if they use a different script as well.

It serves as a bridge from the known in to the unknown.

As soon as that bridge isn't there the number of people that will be able (or willing) to make the jump drops dramatically.

If this step-in-between will make the concepts behind Erlang easier to bring to the masses then more of them will eventually make the step to Erlang itself as well.