Agreed.
The extremely slow compile time and extremely limited data flexibility is blocking rapid development.
As an alternative to C++, JAI is more promising in my opinion.
As an alternative to C++, JAI is more promising in my opinion.
Jonathan Blow has a reputation for taking a rather long time to release something eagerly awaited, and the result being impressive and critically acclaimed.
I hope Jai will be the same way. We'll see what happens.
Languages are ecosystems. They have tools, and libraries, and shims to integrate with other tools. They need evangelism. They grow with community involvement. As far as I know, no one has ever released a new language that was perfect in its initial release - there has always been feedback and syntax quirks that get addressed in future versions.
If a "0.1" compiler with warts was out there for people to play with and improve on, I'd have faith. But if you can't get a demo that you're willing to share within 5+ years, then I have very little faith you'll ever release anything, and absolutely zero faith that you'll be able to compromise your mental idea of perfection enough to build a thriving community around a product.
There are private betas available by the way.