OT: on IDEs and code writing on steroids

[Georg Wrede]

Nick Sabalausky wrote:
> Suppose (purely hypothetically) that the .NET assembly system 
> were changed to allow the source for a D/C++ style of source-level template 
> to be embedded into the assembly. Then they'd be able to do D/C++ style 
> source-level template/code-generation. Right?

I assume, actually presume, that would take the better part of a decade.

> Now obviously the big problem with that is it would only be usable in
> the same language it was originally written in.

That actually depends. Done the M$ way, it would. Done properly, it 
would work in any language. But then, that would mean a rewrite of the 
entire CLR, wouldn't it?

> I suppose that might make reverse-engineering easier  [...]

I don't think that's got anything to do with it. Not at least, if they'd 
really do it below the language/CLR boundary.