I don't buy the "syntax doesn't matter" argument, but am a bit frustrated by just how much it does matter to some people. What do you guys think?
I'm not part of the "syntax doesn't matter" camp either.
Since Hecl (I think) is partly intended to use for coding directly from phones with crappy screens/keyboards, for me at least, syntax would be especially important there. Not so much that it would be familiar, but that it would be as concise as possible.
Currently, coding directly from phones is not a big use of the language - it's just too painful on all but a few.