That's almost what happened with C. In general I agree with your point though.
"As it has always been in the history of programming, what it takes for this potential to come true is for the current generation of programmers to retire, leaving room for fresh paradigms."
Not so sure about this. I see more of a trend to repeat previous errors because the industry as a whole quickly forgets lessons.
I think maybe in 2050 or so we will reach software development maturity, once the base of experienced developers is not dwarfed by the generation of developers joining the work force in one single year.
Keep in mind that the number of programmers is not only increasing moderately in developed countries, but much more so in developing countries, where hundreds of millions of people are joining the global middle class.
Most of today's books are really bad in comparison. Too long, no depth.
On the other hand the cool thing about programming is that you can get started and be productive without almost no knowledge of theory. Compare that to physics or math where anything interesting requires years of prior training.
I hope we'll find some balance where we don't lose the ability to get started quickly but still respect and study older achievements.
It is a necessary condition, certainly not a sufficient one