Effect on Perl 5

I hear what you are saying (and totally agree).

> I don't doubt Larry Wall's commitment to Perl, and he can make a dialect of COBOL and call it Perl for all I care

He wouldn't do that because he is very committed to Perl. Perl 6 is very clearly Perl, not COBOL.

> but when ... people feel that they too have a stake in the brand, they get rather upset if things start to change under their feet.

Think about that with Larry and sixers where the ... appears. They have put 12 years in to producing a worthy new Perl. Rather than help get it production ready most folk are happier to complain about the name.

Now think about it with "others" as you originally wrote where the ... appears. What has changed under their feet and who changed it?

> To summarise, someone can be completely entitled to control a brand but they have to live with the consequences of their decisions.

Right. I think Larry understands that Perl 6 solves pretty much all the problems with Perl 5 while retaining its essence and he's not going to let pent up frustration with how long its taken and its changes in syntax derail the efforts of the last 12 years.