> Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 15:10:20 -0500
> From: John Carr <jfc@mit.edu>
> 
> 
> > > 1. Nobody else knows the language.
> > > 2. It doesn't run on our platform.
> > > 3. It will break and we can't get support.
> >
> > Point 1 => same problem as with Linux about ten years ago
> > 
> > Point 2 => really not running on that platform?
> >
> > Point 3 => The INRIA-cathedral will help to prevent this problem
> >            in the sense of "we do not allow any hacker to make
> >            changes in the core language"
> 
> Suppose we find a bug in ocaml that impacts our product.
> Whose job is it to fix the bug?  Neither "a network of
> hackers" nor "some academic researchers in France, if they
> have the time" is an acceptable answer.  We pay a company
> to provide us with an embedded Linux environment including
> cross-compilation tools.  While in reality ocaml will be
> more reliable than g++ due to the vast difference in
> complexity, that doesn't overcome the fear.
> 
> Consider points 2 and 3 as axioms.  They were dictated to
> me by management and were not subject to debate.  As long
> as there is a shadow of a doubt about support, ocaml won't
> be used where I work.
> 

Sounds like there may be an opportunity for people who want to provide
for-profit support for ocaml projects.  I suspect that the idea of getting
paid to work in ocaml would be highly appealing to most of the people on
this list.  An analogy would be to the early Linux distributions
(e.g. Slackware).

Mike

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