So, to print or not to print?

[cym13 via Digitalmars-d]

On Tuesday, 26 April 2016 at 08:50:23 UTC, ixid wrote:
> On Tuesday, 26 April 2016 at 03:13:22 UTC, Jonathan M Davis 
> wrote:
>> On Tuesday, April 26, 2016 01:44:07 Jack Stouffer via 
>> Digitalmars-d wrote:
>>> On Monday, 25 April 2016 at 19:35:04 UTC, Andrei Alexandrescu
>>>
>>> wrote:
>>> > https://github.com/dlang/phobos/pull/3971
>>>
>>> I really don't see the utility of the function over writefln 
>>> being great enough to warrant inclusion. I'd vote not to 
>>> include it.
>>
>> I concur. IMHO, it doesn't add enough value to be worth it, 
>> and given that it adds yet another printing function, it'll 
>> increase confusion with newcomers.
>>
>> - Jonathan M Davis
>
> Please find an example of a newcomer who would be confused by 
> print. This is an objectionable argument because none of the 
> people making it are newcomers, you're using an entirely 
> theoretical newcomer as your argument, and seem to think 
> 'print(a, b, c);' is going to confuse people more than 
> 'writefln("%s %s %s", a, b, c);' which is ridiculous.
>
> Print function names are hardly pristine snow of simplicity 
> that 'print' is going to muddy. What do you think goes through 
> a newcomer's mind when they see 'writefln'? For the vast 
> majority it's almost certainly not 'write formatted line', it's 
> 'write wagarble' and they'll forget wagarble next time they 
> want to use it.
>
> Print is incredibly simple and a low barrier to entry. When 
> people need more complexity they can read up on other 
> functions. You barely need to read anything to use print and 
> you don't need to recheck the documents for using it the second 
> time. Most users will find functions like writefln a bit 
> nightmarish when they just want the program to do the most 
> basic thing to interact with it in the first place. This has 
> been further compounded by some of the alternative suggestions 
> where people immediately suggest turning it into a template 
> function etc.
>
> Yes, you could sugar up everything and turn the language into 
> an unmaintainable mess, it's a question of effort vs reward.
>
> Barring main, printing something is likely the most commonly 
> used function and this covers 90% of what people use it for in 
> the simplest and easiest way. People fall into using languages 
> because they're elegant, powerful and easy to use. Suddenly all 
> the little code examples people will be exposed to are that 
> much clearer and more elegant. The benefit is far greater than 
> the cost.

It's not print itself that is likely to confuse a newcommer, you 
seem to forget that there is a whole programming language and 
ecosystem around it.

The first questions I expect are "when should I use print and 
when use writeln?" for they share a common role with common 
features.

The second thing is that it will only make it harder for them to 
read other's code: having one way (although not perfect) to do 
things helps maintaining coherence accross any codebase. 
Multiplication of functions to do the same things with only a 
slight change brings only disarray.

Finally it doesn't bring much. One learns writeln, laments a bit 
that it doesn't put spaces itself then just accepts it. I do 
think that easing the path of newcommers is important, I don't 
think print is a good way to do that. I'm all with J.M.D there.