D dropped in favour of C# for PSP emulator

[Walter Bright]

On 5/11/2012 12:40 PM, H. S. Teoh wrote:
> Yeah, one of the biggest problems with C++ template syntax is that it
> looks like an alien language. I remember going, "wait, you have to type
> *that* to achieve what can written as a simple loop in normal C++
> code?!"
>
> I couldn't tell you how delighted I was when I saw D's much cleaner and
> clearer template syntax. I mean, it looks just like normal, non-template
> code! Gee, what a concept!

Back when Andrei was writing TDPL, I suggested that he avoid using the word 
'template' completely - to simply include type parameters as if they were 
completely natural. I think this was a very successful approach.

I got the idea after listening to a friend of mine who taught remedial algebra 
to college students. She said that peoples' brains freeze up when they see "x" 
in an equation. If she wrote:

    x + 3 = 5

on the board and asked people to "solve for x", they would fail completely. But, 
if she wrote:

    ( ) + 3 = 5

and asked them to "fill in the circle with the number that makes it work", they 
all went "of course, it's 2!"


C++ has produced a "gee, templates are hard" mentality, and consequently many 
people just shut down when they see the word "template".