[stcredzero]

You're glazing over my main point: the poor performance of recently developed High Level languages.

Do I take issue over other people using other syntaxes? No. Does syntax put any kind of limitation on VM speed? No. Do I even imply that Smalltalk and Lisp are conceptually superior to Ruby? No.

What I am saying is that the current popular HLLs are behind the curve in terms of performance.

I find it funny that adult techies discard Smalltalk over syntax. There's only 5 rules, FFS. Lots of grade school kids have used it like a highly advanced multimedia Logo. That said, the traditional operator precedence of algebras is such a deep part of Engineering, Science, and Mathematics culture, that any language that doesn't add it as a convenience to those groups is probably and understandably doomed to obscurity. (In particular, Forth, Smalltalk, Lisp, Self, and others.)

If only David Simmons had better marketing and community organizing skills. Smallscript might have been where Ruby is today.