Why isn't Rev more popular?

[Jerry Muelver]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dan Shafer"
Subject: Re: Why isn't Rev more popular?

> 1. As a small company, RunRev doesn't have the resources to get the 
> product as widely promoted as it could if it were larger.

That's a Catch-22. The only solution to the problem framed that way would be 
to sell more product to get big enough to sell more product.

> 2. It's not "like" anything conventional professional programmers know 
> about so trying to explain it in a capsule is very difficult even for 
> those of us who understand it well.

Conventional professional programmers already have the tools they need to 
practice their profession. They are not motivated to migrate to something 
new on the basis of features, but on the basis of benefits. Sell the 
benefits, not just the unconventionality, to gain a foothold in the 
professional programming beachfront.

> 3. It competes with free languages and tools such as Java, JavaScript, 
> Python, Perl, PHP, many flavors of C.

I think it competes more with other "IDE is GUI is Program" languages like 
Smalltalk and Prolog. A Revolution stack is a process, not a goal. It's more 
like a wiki compared to a blog, than it is an interpreter compared to a 
compiler.

> 4. It's not taught at the university level.

Well.... http://revolution.byu.edu/indexgeneric.html

> 5. It has been widely (mis)perceived as a Mac language, particularly 
> because of its resemblance in terminology and language syntax to 
> HyperCard.

Dan, that should be A Good Thing, especially for Macophiles!

I originally came across MetaCard in the Windows environment, in a corporate 
setting, producing EPSS (Electronic Performance Support Systems -- online 
Help and training) material for presentation on Unix/Solaris systems. The 
"write here, play everywhere" paradigm is a powerful point for Revolution.

> There are dozens of others.

Indeed. A primary consideration is that Revolution has strong appeal to solo 
programmers who do not (or won't) work in team projects. That constrains it 
to "Inventive Users", not corporate team players whose projects could garner 
accolades and publicity beyond the pale of the solo producer's capabilities. 
It would help Revolution to follow up on, and evangelize, the projects of 
their Enterprise edition users for publicity, and their solo users for 
beadth of applications and possibilities.

---- Jerry Muelver