Guy Steele: Growing a Language (video 53:30) (video.google.com)
recommended by 1 user | 2011 | 103 points by ashutoshm | language design | original thread |

Guy Steele's keynote at the 1998 ACM OOPSLA conference on "Growing a Language" discusses the importance of and issues associated with designing a programming language that can be grown by its users.

Link to PDF http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~evans/cs655/readings/steele.pdf

One user recommended this thread. What they said:
ColinWright Mar 23, 2012 | on: Growing a Language, by Guy Steele | context

Some of the previous submissions:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=68918

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=92542

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=122989

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=150863

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=152311 <- 7 comments

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=626380

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=827107

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2359174 <- 21 comments

This is a fabulous talk that I thoroughly commend. It's also, perhaps, for a slightly limited audience, but it shouldn't be. I think every programmer should see the whole thing, but most won't bother. Which is a shame.