As an outsider, I was disappointed they didn't pick Julia too. It seems very thoughtfully put together, has a good community and some high quality libs. And it's fast.
As the article points out, Google did consider it. IIRC it came down to Julia and Swift in the end. And, given Chris Lattner was leading the effort, there was only really going to be one answer. There's clearly some merit to that: they were expecting to make changes in the compiler (again, if I remember, for e.g. optimising GPU code). If you're going to change the compiler, it's pretty compelling to opt for the language that one of your team designed. And it's not clear (to me) what the implications of commits into the Julia master tree would have been.
That doesn't generate a community though. It's yet to be seen whether that will happen. It would take the level of resource that very few firms can afford to dedicate. Google is one of them: though its patchy record on committing to long term endeavours means it's definitely not a slam dunk. And Lattner leaving further detracts from that confidence.
I'll be interested to see what they come up with. Still think it's a pity they didn't choose Julia. But it's not my project so I don't get to choose.
As the article points out, Google did consider it. IIRC it came down to Julia and Swift in the end. And, given Chris Lattner was leading the effort, there was only really going to be one answer. There's clearly some merit to that: they were expecting to make changes in the compiler (again, if I remember, for e.g. optimising GPU code). If you're going to change the compiler, it's pretty compelling to opt for the language that one of your team designed. And it's not clear (to me) what the implications of commits into the Julia master tree would have been.
That doesn't generate a community though. It's yet to be seen whether that will happen. It would take the level of resource that very few firms can afford to dedicate. Google is one of them: though its patchy record on committing to long term endeavours means it's definitely not a slam dunk. And Lattner leaving further detracts from that confidence.
I'll be interested to see what they come up with. Still think it's a pity they didn't choose Julia. But it's not my project so I don't get to choose.