Ask HN: Can new programming languages attract developers without funding?
The Go language benefits enormously from Google's support and resources. Similarly, Rust grew from the support and resources of Mozilla. For example, both languages have had (or still have) dedicated staff writing documentation for the language. This is a luxury that other languages cannot fund or afford.
New languages aren't necessarily in competition with each other but at the same time, all languages want to attract developers.
How can other languages without a big corporate benefactor attract funding to help grow the language and build related libraries?
Examples of new-ish "underdog" languages (for want of a better term):
- Nim
- Crystal
- Zig (not yet at version 1.0)
- Julia (?)
Zig already has a VP of community and Crystal are planning to hire a Community Manager. This is an acknowledgement of the importance of growing the developer community in each language.
What about Julia? Does it count as an "underdog" in the language race? Although not backed by a big corporate sponsor, they have gained a solid foothold in the academic sphere. The language's origin at MIT has also given it influence and attention. (Feel free to disagree!)
I'd hate to think that only langauges with the generous funding and support of a big corporate sponsor can thrive. Meanwhile, other languages face the uncertainty of funding.
Back to the main question: Without funding from a generous corporate benefactor, can a language still grow, thrive and attract developers? How?