b) Thinking that being free (as a beer and/or as freedom), hybrid, closed source of whatever is a single critera of success seems foolish. I'm not asking for a complete comparison (I think my mailbox won't stand it ;-) ), but please stop comparing a free operating software with a paid compiler, and assume the former have more users than the later because it's free (and vice-versa). In addition, I don't see the logic behind comparing something born in the 90s with something from the 2000s. Remember the Dot-com bubble ?

c) There are other way to get more people involved, for exemple if dlang.org becomes a foundation (see related thread), we would be able to apply for GSoC.

d) People pay for something they need. They don't adopt something because they can pay for it. That's why paid compiler must follow language promotion, not the other way around.