Super-dee-duper D features

[janderson]

Andrei Alexandrescu (See Website For Email) wrote:
> janderson wrote:
>> Note: I'm not arguing that meta-programming should be higher priority 
>> then say reflection.  I'm just arguing that its just an extension to 
>> what programmers do on a day-to-day basis.
> 
> But metaprogramming *gives* reflection (as even you and others discussed 
> recently). The half-assed way to do reflection is to have the language 
> implementer sit down and define the run-time reflection mechanism. The 
> full-assed way is to define compile-time reflection, to then allow 
> people to define and refine run-time reflection mechanisms as libraries, 
> in addition to many other useful libraries! It's like in the fish vs. 
> fishing parable.

I agree but its like the stl vectors.  I'm unsure weather it just is 
easier to have that kinda thing in the language because it already has 
much of that information.  Also to write a reflection program that 
doesn't require wrapping each and every call you'd need to write a fully 
fledged compiler which may become out of sync with the compiler.   I'm 
undecided on this matter.

> 
>> I also think it will be a while before we will realize the full 
>> potential of DSL.  Like anything else they should be used with care.
> 
> There's one way to find out :o).
> 
> Andrei