As huge fan of the Elixir language I think this article missed the point.
Elixir is gaining popularity _because_ of the Erlang VM and libraries. Yes, macros, protocols, syntax, etc may attract a first glance at the language, but I believe people stay and evangelize Elixir because of the power of Erlang/OTP.
Likewise, I think Elixir popularity will only drive Erlang, Joxa, and LFE popularity forward as the initial roadblock of grokking the Erlang VM and how OTP works are overcome.
Exactly. Just Elixir build on say Ruby VM or Python VM would not be appealing. BEAM VM is really a marvel of engineering. Telling others that yes it provides lightweight processes which also have isolated heaps is often met with disbelief. It is almost magic.
Elixir is gaining popularity _because_ of the Erlang VM and libraries. Yes, macros, protocols, syntax, etc may attract a first glance at the language, but I believe people stay and evangelize Elixir because of the power of Erlang/OTP.
Likewise, I think Elixir popularity will only drive Erlang, Joxa, and LFE popularity forward as the initial roadblock of grokking the Erlang VM and how OTP works are overcome.