I've been watching 'Factor' for sometime, but I havent used it yet ...

http://factor.sourceforge.net/

Factor is the baby of Slava Pestov, the author of jEdit.
Slava blogs about Factor quite often here 

http://www.jroller.com/page/slava/
 

-----Original Message-----
From: Greg Lorriman [mailto:bogus / bogus.com] 
Sent: Monday, 19 September 2005 7:52 AM
To: ruby-talk ML
Subject: Language recommendations from ruby persons....

Dear sirs and madames,

I've thrown myself into ruby and I'm having a pleasant time.

Now I am looking to find another language to learn with three features,
two of which Ruby has, and I am looking for your words of advice and
guidance.

The features I am looking for are

1)enjoyableness
2)practicalness
3)alternativeness

with a decent nod to

4)not so long a learning curve (hey, I'm from the TV generation; I need
instant kicks).

Ruby does the first two, but now I want to cruise into other dimensions,
and ruby isn't really weird and alternative enough.

I really would like something that makes me think in a very different
manner, and is excellent at solving a range of problems that imperative
languages are not too good at. I would like to be using it a lot for
real-world stuff, like I am Ruby and Delphi.

Now because you guys are tuned to enjoyableness, and probably have a
measure of appreciation of the need for practicality I am hoping that
you might give me some commentary on what you think might be worth
looking at.

I've vaguely looked at Ocaml, Heskel, Scheme, Mercury. (Lisp would seem
to wander too far away from simplicity which I reckon probably impacts
enjoyableness, but then someone has said that OCaml isn't so simple but
is very enjoyable; so you can see why I haven't listed simplicity as a
requirement.). I doubt I can go too far off the mainstream since
requirement
2 would be impacted. So if anyone wishes to comment on the usual
'alternative' languages, as well as exotic stuff from other galaxies,
then I am very interested.

Of course I have no experience in any of these. I also see little in the
way of languages being compared for enjoyableness. I don't care for
performance tables since performance only solves one problem which Intel
and AMD can solve for me, and I'm more interested in the infinite number
of other problems.

Grateful for any of your wonderful and marvellous thoughts,

Greg