[erlang-questions] What problem are we trying to solve here? [was Erland users group [was re: languages in use? [was: Time for OTP to be Renamed?]]]

[Miles Fidelman]

Pieter Hintjens wrote:
> On Sat, Feb 15, 2014 at 6:08 PM, Fred Hebert <mononcqc@REDACTED> wrote:
>
>> That makes for quite a steep curve, doesn't it?
> This is a core problem. It is an uncanny valley; before you can get
> those theoretical productivity gains you have to make large
> investments.

That seems like a red herring to me.  Is the learning curve really that 
steep?

Yes, there can be a big hurdle involved in learning to think 
functionally - but that's language independent.   Same again for 
thinking in terms of actors and massive concurrency rather than 
procedures, or objects and classes - again, that's language independent.

Beyond that, most of the real learning time and investment for a new 
language involves learning libraries, the build system, and run-time 
environments:
- going from "hello, world" in c, to building complete, deployable, 
maintainable systems involves quite a bit (what's the investment in 
learning the gnu build system?)
- Java isn't appreciably better in that regard
- and so forth

And then there's all the brou ha ha about DevOps these days - building 
tool chains for rapid deployment of code that keep changing.

Interpretive languages change the mix a bit - given that some steps are 
dropped out.  Platforms also change things a bit.  (E.g., start with a 
running copy of Apache, add a PHP script.  Simplifies things a bit once 
you've learned the ins and outs of Apache.)

It strikes me that Erlang might actually require less learning than many 
environments - in that OTP provides a platform for wiring together 
complex systems, and deploying them into a run-time environment that 
also solves a lot of problems for you.   Yes you have to learn how they 
work, and how to use them - but then again, you don't have to re-invent 
them.

> I'd love to learn Erlang, mainly because of the people who use it.
> However I'm lazy and modest in my investments and can't spend six
> months to see profit in a project. I won't use tools I can't improve
> myself. I won't join communities where I depend on others for decision
> making.

Or maybe you don't work on problems where the cost/benefit equation 
makes it worth using Erlang?  If your baseline is 'profit in six 
months,' you're working pretty small projects.  For me, it's been at 
least a decade since I've worked anything where coding has started in 
less than 6 months after contract award - there's always a huge amount 
of system level design that goes first, including things like picking 
which platform to work with.

The cost-benefit equation is VERY different when comparing, say:
- a small e-commerce site
- a large e-commerce site coupled to multi-vendor supply chain management
- a transaction processing system
- a telecom switch
- avionics for a new passenger jet

And with all but the first, long-term operation and maintenance 
considerations dwarf the time and dollars required to develop the system 
(or should - there are some great examples of spectacular failures that 
have eaten up billions of dollars before being cancelled - like the FBI 
case file system).  For products (again, telecom switches come to mind), 
a lot of time and capital go in before a dollar of profit is seen.

Somehow, I simply don't see Erlang being relevant if your decision 
criteria is "can't spend six months to see profit in a project."


Miles Fidelman


-- 
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is.   .... Yogi Berra