Templates problem

[Russel Winder via Digitalmars-d-learn]

On Tue, 2016-09-06 at 14:53 +0000, ketmar via Digitalmars-d-learn
wrote:
> 
[…]
> exactly. static arrays doesn't have `popFront`, hence 
> `isInputRange` fails. yet there is no way to tell that to user, 
> so one should just learn what those cryptic error messages really 
> means.

I shall assume a ;-) at the end of that. In trying to pitch D to
Pythonistas, having to deal with error messages of this sort is the
fastest route to "F@@@ that I'll just use Python", with D consigned to
the dustbin.

Either that or it will make it very easy to pitch Chapel to
Pythonistas. Which I shall also be trying to do as well – the idea is
to wean Pythonistas off hacking Python to achieve computational speed,
get them into a polyglot approach.

The issue here is having to compete against NumPy and Numba for
performance computation, and Matplotlib for data visualisation. C, C++,
Rust, Go will not cut it as competition in performance computation. D
and Chapel (and X10 and Fortran but I am avoiding them) can. Sort of.
The issue is that Python and Matplotlib should be seen as the partners
rather than competition for D and Chapel. Arcane error messages from D
compilers, are the fastest turn offs imaginable for people coming new
to a language. 

> or just get used to always slice arrays, it's cheap. ;-)

Except that it seems you cannot create a range from a const array by
slicing. If the algorithms cannot operate on const arrays then the
algorithms have a problem. If the algorithms have a problem, the
language has a problem.

-- 
Russel.
=============================================================================
Dr Russel Winder      t: +44 20 7585 2200   voip: sip:russel.winder at ekiga.net
41 Buckmaster Road    m: +44 7770 465 077   xmpp: russel at winder.org.uk
London SW11 1EN, UK   w: www.russel.org.uk  skype: russel_winder
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