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0 pointsecshafer7y ago0 comments

I think as far as successful languages go, the truth is the opposite. Languages with large design by committee teams are most successful. C++, Java, C, JavaScript or even going back to Cobol and Fortran. The languages with the most use are not typically designed by one person.

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chaosite7y ago

I mean, eventually a committee takes over, sure.

But C++ is Stroustrup, Java is Gosling, C is K&R, JavaScript is Eich. Most successful languages kept their internal consistency by being designed by a single person. Historically, these single persons also had mustaches.

Yes, eventually all of those graduated to a design-by-committee approach, but that happened much later. But yes, in that sense, Python is just following the path set by others.

johannes12343217y ago

Java's predecessor Oak was created by 13 guys (among them Patrick Naughton, Mike Sheridan, James Gosling and Bill Joy) over 18 months a different then relatively quickly grew to a larger team. (While that project didn't include the language spec itself only, but also runtime and library)

C++ wasn't designed by Stroustrup alone. It's based on C's design.

Sure sometimes you have cleared leaders (see also Perl/Larry Wall) but having a larger group has benefits to see more edge cases (with the risk of committee issues)

pjmlp7y ago

C++ was Stroustrup before C++89, Java was Gosling until about 1.5, C was K&R before C89, JavaScript was Eich until ES3.

So, all around 20 to 30 years ago.

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