Status of Software Reuse 581

You don't have to say "language" to investor. "Powerful scripting capabilities" is what you tell them.

It is a sensible way to break up code complexity. You write the core in some language you believe in, PL-1, C etc.; but make a powerful extension language as part of the package. Don't make it too unwieldy. It can even do the configurations. Then you have a tool to make all of those nitty-gritty special adaptions that tend to slow down large projects.

I think any IBM'er would address your PL-1 comments. I spent most of my military service around a huge military datacenter where PL-1 was the "lingua franca". It didn't seem unique in the surroundings. The only COBOL stuff was some army logistics stuff with NATO buttociactions.

Such a language is a one-off. It follows the product.

I think Java is popular because it directly addresses the major weaknesses with C without being too much of a pain. It fits right in. I am just involved in a such project, where all the fast stuff is done in small C programs, and all the heavy back-end stuff is done in Java.

I don't see much software reused in the original sense. This seems a dead end now. Reuse happens with binary modules that have a general design.

-- mrr