Actually, I saw their concern for industry being the target of the humor. Haskell is what it is; for the Haskell community to worry about industrial relevance is a funny, un-self-aware and touchingly pathetic "me too" reflex, like Bill Gates worrying about his pick-up skills or Bill Clinton wondering if his wife trusts him around other women.

(Sorry if that sounds overly political. I'm not a Bill Clinton hater or even disliker, but it's a perfect example and I just can't resist.)

The BillG pick up reference is probably a bit obtuse to anyone who hasn't read Accidental Empires... :)

I've been to some events of the Haskell community and hang out on the Haskll cafe mailing list. They don't seem elitist to me, and are quite fond of connections to industry. Where do you get those notions?

I don't get those notions. My point is that it seems to be that Steve got those notions.

Thanks for the clarification. I hadn't taken the indirect citation into account.