well first of all i think everybody has already made really excellent points,…
therefore i am not sure if my 5 cents can add anything of value, or if i am even on topic,… so here goes nothing…
to me this question is fundamentally one about classification ( pretty much my favorite
subject matter these days :-)) and therefore all that can be said in general about classification is valid and relevant in this particular case as well.
( here is the link to a youtube video in which i elaborate on classification in greater detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDNHIGMSMhQ )
to be more concrete, classification ( most often, and this case presents no exception ( i think )) establishes an artificial / synthetic structure for the purpose of constructing a ( seemingly ) rational argument around it. ( usually an argument that is in support of someones personal convictions / interests. )
also this kind of classification / discrimination, ( after all to classify and to discriminate are just two sides of one and the same medal ) it always and necessarily entails some degree of distortion and simplification.
alright, so when i then read for example:
But Clojure either trumps, or simply lacks any competition.
So at least when you go with Clojure, you know you’re getting the best at those things that there currently is.
to me this feels somewhat like the inevitable outcome of the argument, given the predisposition and bias of the author. ( and perhaps the real reason behind and for doing the classification in the first place :-))
in other words, my worry with this type of classification / argumentation is that, it sometimes appears, to some small part at least, like an attempt to rationalize and or justify personal convictions / believes in a self-serving manner.
( socrates was ugly, right?.. so that explains it then :-))
now look, don’t get me wrong, of course it makes sense to try to highlight those aspects which are most in favor of the argument that one is trying to deliver, every sales-person / politician, worth their salt, knows this full well,… but the crucial point is, i think, to still and always make an attempt to stay as aware as possible about what it is, one is doing, because otherwise one could at some point down the road, suddenly end up with a dangerously distorted impression of reality, which then leads one to draw deeply flawed and questionable conclusions.
( … isn’t our neighbor just such a miser?.. well you know, aunt betty told me the other day over tea and biscuits that one of his grandfathers was actually a scotsman… oh is that so?.. well then, there you have it :-))
now of course, this is just programming languages and paradigms and not race, gender, religion, nationality or anything commanding some real seriousness, and of course a good deal of many an endless editor war type debate, is of a fundamentally humorous nature,… ( as st. ignucius from the church of emacs preaches to all of us ),… i get that…
still, lately i feel i have matured somewhat and hence decided to switch strategy a bit… here is what i do:
when people ask me why i like emacs or lisp better than x or y, i offer the following question as my answer:
‘what do you prefer, lasagne or sushi?’ often times this then turns what i have very often perceived as very heated yet pointless discussions, ( in fact i used to get really worked up over this sort of thing,… :-)) into a friendly chatter about grandma’s superb roast pork recipe.
the retort’s point is of course quite simple: if i happen to just really ( REALLY! ) love sushi, or say, if i happen to run a sushi restaurant, well then this means that i have a vested interest in the promotion and continued flourishing of the famous japanese dish, and of course i will ( at least try to ) come up with all kinds of arguments that will ( hopefully ) help me triumph over those evil layers of béchamel sauce, ragù and pasta; ( DO NOT FORGET ABOUT THE PECORINO ON TOP! it really does make all the difference in the world :-))… and to do so is totally legit, because i just want to share my passion about onigiri and company with the entire world, and also, it is just entirely frustrating to me, when people, ignorant as so many of them clearly are, ( ‘raw fish, seaweed and cold rice?’ she asked me with an expression of utmost bewilderment… can you believe that!!! ) simply do not seam to get the vast and obvious superiority of the far eastern delicacy ( of course enjoyed with just the right amount of wasabi and soy souce ), over some boring italian noodle dish that’s first and foremost intended for consumption by overweight cats!
… wow… i really did not think i would end up writing this much… also, doing a food metaphor made me really hungry, plus… i am afraid i have kind of forgotten what my point was to begin with…
…hmmm… well let me see… right!.. what i was trying to get at is that eclipse sucks! also clojure rules!!!..
great, now i’ll order some chicken masala,… and be a happy camper… cheers!