D-etractions A real world programmers view on D

[Andrew McKinlay]

> His post comes down to: "I like to have an IDE and I prefer Java
> because I already know Java."

Just for the record, I am no particular fan of the Java language 
- it's weak, boring, and often tedious. Any "loyalty" to Java 
that I have is not because I already know it, but because it is a 
robust, stable, performant platform with a rich ecosystem of 
libraries and tools. I am very open to new languages. I learnt 
Java from scratch several years ago for a specific project. Other 
than that I have primarily used C++. I am always looking at 
language alternatives like Scala, Clojure, Erlang, and D.

You're right that I like to have an IDE. But I think that applies 
to a large percentage of programmers.

I fully admit to being a newbie at D and because of that I may be 
making incorrect judgements. However, keep in mind that every 
newcomer to D will be in the same position. If a language scares 
away newcomers, then it will have trouble gaining traction.

> This is perfectly fine of course, but why would this be 
> relevant for D development?

One relevance to D development may be that there are a lot of 
Java developers out there who are a potential source of converts. 
Right or wrong, they are going to make many of the same  
comparisons as me.

All the things I mention can (and I'm sure will) be improved - 
the garbage collector, the libraries, the tools, etc.

Just to be clear, I would love to see D be successful.