Steve Yegge, of Google fame, has been musing on the next big language. The general consensus: that he’s talking about an upcoming revision of ECMAScript, more generally called JavaScript.
It’s an interesting thesis and quite possible. The ‘next big language’ has never been about what is best, but what gets support. Java and C# are the current holders in the enterprise space, as despite their faults they’ve got buy-in from a lot of enterprises and are seen as safe bets. Plus, the tools are great and everyone knows them so hiring is easy.
JavaScript also fits this in many ways. It lacks the tools at present, but with Adobe’s offerings and its wide user-base it certainly has potential. ECMAScript is a bloody silly name though.
Or maybe we’ll get lucky, and it’ll be something new and/or interesting.
