| I think the biggest problem Perl6 faces now is the perception that it is unfinished. This is mostly a problem of their own making. The language was in development for 15 years! In that time people got it drilled into their head that it wasn't done yet and likely would never be. While this perception did hurt Perl5 it seems to have also hurt itself since reading this thread and seeing the number of people saying that it is "still in progress" or "still changing". This brings me to my second point, and the one that frustrates me more. In fact Perl6 was released as stable 1.0 on Christmas of 2015. You could be excused for not noticing it. There were a few articles in a few technical journals in the months leading up tot he release but mostly the release day went by completely unnoticed and barely remarked upon. Perl6 is a spectacular achievement! A language designed over the course of 15 years with the extreme flexibility and malleability to last 100 years more. This could have been a news story, a big release party, lots of hype, press releases. A language in the works for 15 years, it must be great right!? Instead, to keep with an in-joke about "released by Christmas" it was released on Christmas day by developers who had family plans to a community that was busy with their own. I doubt many people know it happened. Indeed this thread seems proof of that. Its not everyday that a 15 year project is completed. What an opportunity for exultation, and good press, wasted. |