[tmerr]

The ideal set of building blocks depends on the problem.

If the building blocks make it easy to write concurrent code (Go, Erlang), then it becomes easier to write a server. If they make it easy to represent "A or B or C" and pattern match on trees (ML-like languages), then it becomes easier to write a compiler.

Add to that: if you are trying to make an easy to onboard language, you want to look at how beginners use it, not experts. Someone writing a compiler for language X is certainly an expert in X.

[tubthumper8]

To me, being able to represent "A or B or C" is a bare minimum of a type system.