Author here. Please try not to get too caught up on the interpreted part. It’s far less important to what I’m trying to get across here in the essay. Yes, implementation matters, but what we’re implementing matters more. And don’t ignore the benefits of being interpreted, like having a more dynamic runtime. Being able to modify a system without needing a recompile cycle is a huge win.

See also more thoughts on the essay: http://nearthespeedoflight.com/article/2014_03_20_assorted_f...