> The article never mentions Haskell, or any similar language. It compares Cobol and Python, and it compares Perl 4 and Perl 5. It never compares two languages where people on both sides think they're on the more powerful side.
That's because the article doesn't think that can happen. I think it can, and I give an example.
> > What's wrong is the idea that languages can be placed on a one-dimensional axis labeled "power". That idea is mistaken.
> It's also not in the essay. It says: "Note to nerds: or possibly a lattice, narrowing toward the top; it's not the shape that matters here but the idea that there is at least a partial order."
I fail to see how being a lattice allows there to be two elements where each is greater than the other. My criticism doesn't depend on partial vs. strict ordering; it depends on only one axis vs. multiple axes. Note that with multiple axes, you can't do even a partial order without imposing some outside criterion.
> > High performance computing (or, as the article says, games)? I might need something that gives me control of memory layout.
> This is addressed in the essay, too: "When you're writing desktop software, there's a strong bias toward writing applications in the same language as the operating system."
While games can be desktop software, high performance computing usually isn't.