16.3. Interfaces to Longevity

How can a designer think about longevity for a general programming language? Are there specific steps to take?

John: A lot of languages go after a specific problem. Remember the one Atkinson did, HyperCard. He made what I would believe is the most common mistake that people make and that's not to make it a full programming language. You have to have control, you have to have branching, you have to have looping, you have to have all the mathematics and everything that makes up a full programming language or else you'll hit a brick wall at some point in the future.