repost from a "newbie" who isn't

[Logical Language Group <lojbab@ACCESS.DIGEX.NET>]

Private comment from not-so-newbie Dave Barton, who gives permission
for me to repost:
>As someone who is getting involved again after a long absence, and is
>facing learning the language virtually from scratch, I find myself
>agreeing with your view more and more as time goes on.  Frankly, as a
>computer languge designer (and not a spoken language designer), I came
>into this with a bias towards an academy.  I work extensively in the
>IEEE standards game, and know the mechanisms of such bodies quite
>well.  It is a familiar mechanism for me, and in the absence of this
>discussion I would probably have accepted an academy by default.
>
>However, I *know* that if I had learned the language as best I could
>from the textbook and refgrammar, and then found a bunch of new stuff
>I had to learn as well, it would be very discouraging.  I don't know
>if it would put me off entirely, but it *would* make me hesitate.
>What do I study?  If I do this or that, will I have to simply unlearn
>it later?  These kinds of reflections are effort and motivation
>killing.  I am grateful to have a relatively stable corpus (even if
>the "baseline" hasn't *really* started).
>
>And, believe me, I *know* that your description of what happens with
>an academy, where the papers of the academy become de facto part of
>the language regardless of the baseline, is in fact what happens (at
>--More--
>least in computer languages).  I have watched it happen.  No one wants
>to be left behind; everyone tries to pick up the latest.
>
>So, in spite of myself, I am on your side in this particular debate.
>Feel free to quote this in whole or in part, as you would wish; I
>don't want to stick my nose out as a newbie on the full list, but if
>you think anything I say would be worth while, feel free to refer to
>it or post it.
>
>
>                                        Dave Barton <*>
>                                        dlb@wash.inmet.com )0(
>                                        http://www.inmet.com/~dlb


lojbab