> Where as a mainstream language like ... molds itself to the existing OSes ...
Oberon the system was an environment; Oberon the language was a language.
The problem is that the C environment is so dominant that we don't usually think of C in the same terms, or remember that systems languages like Oberon are intended to be used for writing OS-like and filesystem-like elements.
Interesting! So a language might be a failure if it is only for writing OSes/FSes/drivers? That if it is not good for applications, it will never be used by application programmers and the language will never be popular?
Come to think of it, even a "systems" language like Go is still used primarly for writing applications.
How useful is Oberon (the language) for working with filesystem-likes outside of Oberon (the system)?
And all systems langauges will be used heavily for writing applications because there is typically a huge benefit of developing in the same language as the underlying OS.
Oberon the system was an environment; Oberon the language was a language.
The problem is that the C environment is so dominant that we don't usually think of C in the same terms, or remember that systems languages like Oberon are intended to be used for writing OS-like and filesystem-like elements.