I have found very interesting to read the RFCs in light of the apocalypses. RFCs focuse on some specific problems and propose specific answers. On the light of a more encompassing thought by brillant spirit, the problems are solved in a more general way. In a sense the apocalypses can be seen as exercice in debugging people. Note that as apocalypses progress, more and more distance is taken from the RFCs because they progressively become irrelevant even if they have probably been instrumental in charting the territory to be covered.

What strikes me about human thought is that we tend to focus on concrete minor points we are confortable with and often lack a general understanding. For example, people tend to barks at minor changes in Perl6 like the underscore replacing the dot for concatenation. They don't see that the dot has better uses elsewhere (OO programming).

This nodelet is interesting because it proposes to take some distance from the problem at hand to find different perspectives. Only the word debug is ill choosen because what is proposed is more than simple debugging.

It is about always rethinking the frame of references. I want to contrat here innovation and creation.

Current economic paradigms encourage innovation and despise creation. Innovation is incremental. It is the same old stuff with the last bug fixes in a new wrapping. It is a steady source of income for the innovator. The more broken the better it is because the customer will have to buy the next release.

Creation is a more difficult process with an uncertain outcome. But there lies the long term value. Perl6 is definitevely about creation. But creation is definitively to be feared. Because it requires people and institutions to change their habit. It takes time. It challenges hard-won positions.

Interestingly enough. Microsoft promotes innovation not creation. Think innovation as a dirty word. We want the freedom to create.

-- stefp -- check out TeXmacs wiki