How do you use D?

[Pjotr Prins]

> How do you use D?

I write code for a living.

We use D for writing the next generation critical large data 
software. Sequencing centers churn out TBs of data per day and 
writing code in Python does not cut it. Even JVM tools are 
problematic when it comes to raw performance. Sambamba, written 
in D, has been doing heavy lifting since 2014 and is running 
every second of the day somewhere on an HPC diagnosing cancer.

> Did you introduce D to your work place? How? What challenges 
> did you face?

Not that many as we make up the rules. Great programmers tend to 
like D once they grok it.
Writing idiomatic D takes time though. I have written significant 
code in a great number of languages, including Ruby, Python, C++, 
Perl (ugh), Lisp, Elixir, Erlang, Scala... I am in a position to 
state what I like. Currently I favor Ruby for the quick and 
dirty, Elixir for web programming and D for data processing and 
raw speed. It is the fastest car in my garage. It would be C++ if 
I had no D - and I am very glad I don't have to write new code in 
C++. There are reasons I still use other languages. Ruby feels 
just slightly more productive and Elixir has some great features 
too for a functional programming language. I have absolutely no 
incentive to program in Go or Rust though I sometimes have to 
read such code. I think Go is a royal pain.

> What is you D setup at work, which compiler, which IDE?

ldc and emacs. GNU Guix handles all dependencies.

> And any other fun facts you may want to share :)

Started late programming 70s after a stretch playing chess. Been 
coding ever since. My first encounters with Walter were on 
Compuserve when I was using Zortech and Symantec C++ compilers. 
Obviously I am glad we moved forward, tooling-wise.

On Sunday, 6 August 2017 at 05:39:36 UTC, Laeeth Isharc wrote:
> similar with programming language choices and such.  Its way 
> better to appeal to people who make up their own mind and bear 
> the consequences then to those who have to cover their behinds 
> by getting the right ticks in the boxes because the are never 
> going to be earlier adopters except through some unfortunate 
> accident - because you also don't want such people as early 
> adopters!

I think that is very true. I can understand why the people 
involved in D want it to be popular - to become famous, rich, or 
if only to convince those at work. But I think it is fine to 
target thousands of great programmers, rather than millions of 
average ones. And D must be there. Similar to the Haskell and 
Lisp communities we have the luxury of dealing with the best 
programmers out there.

Hyped languages are for suckers.

Even so, if you are a D programmer and your work environment does 
not allow you to use D, 'popularizing' D is not going to help 
that (how do you popularize a powerful language?). Grind your 
teeth and write in whatever the job dictates (I do that too), but 
sneak in your best work in D without telling anyone. There are 
always opportunities. Don't complain. Move on. That is my advice.

I predict D has enough momentum to stay and be a better 
alternative to C/C++/JVM. Which is the main thing. Even when 
Walter and Andrei would drop out, for whatever reason, D will 
continue. There are some language features I would like, but to 
be honest I can live without them.