> and think LISPy language will always remain niche, which is part of its appeal
As someone who uses Scheme regularly and follows Scheme communities fairly actively, I think most people who use Scheme and other LISP dialects would disagree. People often (I think only half jokingly) talk about the possible "Utopia" we missed out on if LISP has won. The word "successful" is often used to refer to implementations or dialects based on how much use they have.
I think the fact that LISP is niche is actually a negative for most of the community, not part of the appeal.
As someone who uses Scheme regularly and follows Scheme communities fairly actively, I think most people who use Scheme and other LISP dialects would disagree. People often (I think only half jokingly) talk about the possible "Utopia" we missed out on if LISP has won. The word "successful" is often used to refer to implementations or dialects based on how much use they have.
I think the fact that LISP is niche is actually a negative for most of the community, not part of the appeal.