Typing system vs. Java

[Alex Martelli]

"Bengt Richter" <bokr at accessone.com> wrote in message
news:3b6f56ac.172427147 at wa.news.verio.net...
    ...
> >and so forth... but striving to cover *all* the bases conflicts
> >inevitably with the SIMPLICITY that should be a very important
> >meta-goal of any language's design.
> >
> It strikes me that a lot of human creations seem inevitably
> to go through a Baroque phase, whether it's architecture, painting,
> music, gizmos, or programming languages.

This may be related to what Brooks calls "the second-system
effect".  However, Baroque music in particular reaches peaks
of such stark, pure perfection that I doubt it supports your
contention -- do remember that Baroque music means Pachelbel,
Vivaldi, JS Bach, Haendel, Telemann, Scarlatti...!  Yes, there
IS a lot of conceptual richness behind the apparently-skeletal
structure in (e.g.) the "Art of the Fugue" -- but it is *depth*,
not *complication*.  You may find periods of unnecessary
ornamentation and complication (which seem to be the issues
you're implying by your use of "Baroque" in context) in music,
but Baroque music itself is definitely *NOT* one of them.


Alex