Ask Slashdot: How Can I Make My Own Vaporware Real?

Long-time Slashdot reader renuk007 is a retired Unix/Linux systems programmer with the ultimate question: After retiring I started a second career as a teacher -- and I'm loving it. My problem: I designed a (I feel) wonderful new language compiler, but implementing it will take me another ten years if I have to do it part-time.

Linus Torvalds was able to leverage the enthusiasm of the Internet to make Linux exist, but 1990 was a more innocent time. How does it work today? Any thoughts?
Or, to put it another way, how can you build a community to bring your ideas to light? Leave your best thoughts and suggestions in the comments. How can you make your own vaporware real?

Comments

Description?

[Anonymous Coward]

You'll need to show someone *something*. Got a link to an abstract discussing why this compiler is so much better and worth the time investment? Not like there's a dearth of compilers of various designs out there.

Here's how to do it:

[Anonymous Coward]

Make the language simple enough so a simple parser will do.* Write a simple back-end that works, however inefficiently.

Then publish.

linus did it by publishing early and often. He also had the tide with him, building on a handy-dandy toolset, surfing on a wave of user demand for something, anything, that would make their computer go (linux really is very shoddy in its design and very far from the cutting edge, that was already the case right from the get-go), and you don't: There are too many pet languages already. But don't let that stop you. Write software that works, efficient comes later. Oh, and get with the documenting early on. Language specification, goals, non-goals, et cetera. Publishing early and publishing often is still a good start, and then there's the community building.

* I'd like to mention the Crenshaw textfiles here.