I think Mirah (previously named Duby) really has some potential.<p>For the curious, I mixed JRuby + Duby to create (realtime) audio processing (VST) plugins.<p><a href="https://github.com/thbar/opaz-plugdk/blob/master/plugins/DubyFreeComp/DubyFreeComp.rb" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/thbar/opaz-plugdk/blob/master/plugins/Dub...</a><p><a href="https://github.com/thbar/opaz-plugdk/blob/master/plugins/DubyFreeComp/DubyFreeCompTools.duby" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/thbar/opaz-plugdk/blob/master/plugins/Dub...</a><p>In this example JRuby provides the "declarativeness" and ease of use of Ruby, while Duby makes the "heavy computation".<p>Duby in this case is just as fast as Java used on floats (it's actually translated into Java).<p>Of course, to get to write VST plugins with this, you already have a C++ <=> Java wrapper (jVSTWrapper), then a Java <=> JRuby wrapper I wrote.<p><a href="https://github.com/thbar/opaz-plugdk/blob/master/src/JRubyVSTPluginProxy.java" rel="nofollow">https://github.com/thbar/opaz-plugdk/blob/master/src/JRubyVS...</a>
I think mirah is an interesting implementation of ruby like syntax on the jvm. I like the flow of ruby and to compile down to jvm bytecode should theoretically yield the performance of java. I think as with any language its growth is down to a few key factors like some interesting public projects, big names using it, library support and then a community forming behind it. Its all about use cases right?<p>Ruby for me was a web language that I took to scripting and then tried some server side work in, but I'm starting to see its limitations and overheads.<p>Rite while being an embeddable language and having a specific use case will most likely be this light weight barebones ruby that can be run in place of our existing web software, scaling up nicely. However thats just speculation.
So the trend here is... Ruby syntax, compiled to other languages' semantics?<p>This would excite me more if Ruby's syntax were better. I want <i>metaprogramming</i> on top of everything and its brother, not Ruby syntax. Even though I love Ruby.
I don't know why more people aren't excited about Reia. ErlangVM w/ more approachable syntax? Awesome. Not that I don't like Erlang syntax, I just think more people would be willing to use it if it has more familiar syntax.