bringing NewLIsp to wider audiences

[unixtechie]

/* note: I am not an exactly new member here, just changed my username because the old one became inaccessible */



Sometimes the topic of how to spread NewLisp to wider audiences floats up in the discussions. To my surprise I noticed that NewLisp is not advertised on Freshmeat  ( http://www.freshmeat.net">www.freshmeat.net )(!!) - which is THE MAJOR depository or at least the place where EVERYTHING gets announced and noticed



Shouldn't (we/the author) correct this glaring omission, and present it there with a blurb that says something to the effect of

• -- tiny (less than 250k)
  
  -- a standalone executable, no need for a "systemwide installation"
  
  -- ability to create as if a standalone executable which is roughly (250k + your script size)
  
  -- speed on par with the likes of perl/...
  
  -- ability to work with C libraries directly from the scripting code
  
  -- virtually all APIs one needs for sysadmin work, web scripting, general purpose scripting, ...
  
  -- tiny size plus networking plus its standaloneness allow unusual applications, such as running in dozens of copies on the same machine or multiple copies running on many machines across the network, where all that is needed for this setup is copying 250k a few times.
  
  -- almost perfectly done modern documentation with cookbooks, a drastic difference from the old-fashioned bureaucratic formal ugliness which demands internat re-translation to practical terms and slows an aspiring programmer tremendously
  
  --  cross-platform, run it whever you wish
  
  -- and that it is a REAL and viable LISP/SCHEME in all programming aspects

An ultimate hacking tool, n'est pas?

[cormullion]

Hi. (your writing reminds me of user Lithper...)



I agree - go for it! As newLISP is a community/open source project I don't know whether Marketing Executives are appointed, voted in, or just volunteer themselves. I can't code or market, so I do other things... :)

[tom]

I can't code

You're much, much better at it than I am.

[Lutz]

I registered on Freshmeat some time ago, but want to wait until the next major (not development) release for the announcement.

[unixtechie]

I registered on Freshmeat some time ago, but want to wait until the next major (not development) release for the announcement.

Of course. And among the authors who advertise on Freshmeat each one chooses whether to be conservative or not.



However after many years of reading the site (which, being an old  Linux/unix hand and OpenSource fan I do just to keep in touch and be aware what professional problems can be solved with GNU software) I'd say that the majority announce each minor issue of their software, including development releases.



The idea is two-fold: (a) more often repeated program name is remembered better, but also (b) if the project involves development effort on the part of the community (which is scripts, libraries, existing library bindings, documentation, examples etc, etc in the widest sense in case of a programming language), the volunteers DO NEED to follow information of all changes.



And, also, the date of INITIAL announcement on freshmeat (and especially "the initial announcement") does not need to be connected to the actual date of issue of a new release. Most authors keep announcing the "stable" and "development" releases, often one after another in two different postings on the same day.



The net result of this is AN EXPOSURE of the program TO A MUCH WIDER AUDIENCE, which I'd view as an advantage if the aim is  to create a self-sustaining user community.

[Lutz]

Yes, once we start announcing on Freshmeat, we should do it with all releases including the development releases. May be we even start with one of the development 9.9.x releases leading towards 10.0. Development version 9.9.3 will be out next weekend.



See also my post at the end of this thread:



http://www.alh.net/newlisp/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=13569#13569">http://www.alh.net/newlisp/phpbb/viewto ... 3569#13569">http://www.alh.net/newlisp/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=13569#13569

[xytroxon]

The 50th birthday of Lisp is this October, that might be a good time to expose the world to "the state of the newLISP scripting art" while people are "Thinking Lisp"!

http://www.franz.com/services/conferences_seminars/lisp_50th-birthday.lhtml">//http://www.franz.com/services/conferences_seminars/lisp_50th-birthday.lhtml



-- xytroxon