Dr Dobb's mention of Erlang

[Matthias Lang]

Pierpaolo BERNARDI writes:

 > > This is significant, since despite a quirky syntax, Erlang 
 
 > A quirky syntax???

I'd guess the author was mostly familiar with Java or C++.

Java went to some lengths to be syntactically compatible with
C++. Many people are lot more comfortable learning a new language if
it _appears_ familar. By the time they've figured out that the
semantics are different in a few important ways, they've overcome
the "shock of the unknown". ;-)

Erlang doesn't look like Java or C++, so for someone with that
background it looks quirky.

 > > The system is a tad large for the smallest embedded
 > > applications ? you generally need 16MB and a MTD to run the
 > > system."

 > What is an MTD?

Basically flash memory, e.g. a compact flash card. The writeup seems
to be a slightly confused version of the FAQ entry, which says
that you _can_ squeeze Erlang into 2M of flash. That doesn't mean it's
the only way. Just the most common one.

Matthias