Dconf AGM draft agenda

[Mike Franklin]

On Wednesday, 3 April 2019 at 00:10:53 UTC, Nicholas Wilson wrote:

> If you feel that something is missing or I've messed something 
> up please do open a PR.

I would like to request you please defer judgment on @property 
unless someone who's done significant work with it is present to 
advocate on its behalf.  I'm afraid I won't be there, and I fear 
a rash judgment.

I am well aware that Walter and Andrei are disappointed in 
@property, but I have not heard a single objective argument 
explaining why.  It is mostly "It sucks" and "I don't like it" 
and arguments that optional parens fulfills the need (It doesn't 
and I can make that case).

@property is not fundamentally flawed (at least I haven't heard a 
good argument proving so).  Its implementation is slightly broken 
and very incomplete.  I believe that with a few fixes, a few 
years of adjustment, and the necessary work to complete the 
implementation, @property could become an asset to the language.

What I'm asking for is that unless the right person is there to 
articulate the issue (there are a few), please allow the DIP 
process to work.  We don't need *a* decision, we need the right 
decision and we have a process for reaching that decision.  This 
actually goes for any issue on the AGM agenda.  I think it's OK 
to discuss it, but please defer judgment, and let the DIP process 
work, unless there is someone there that can make the full case 
for it.

@property needs 3 separate DIPs to be a success.  I had 
originally abandoned the Binary Assignment Operators DIP, but 
Andrei's recent "We've been worrying too much about changing 
things" and "We need one standard library that is entirely 
pay-as-you-go" posts has re-kindled my hope that maybe, just 
*maybe*, there still might be some hope for D to be more than an 
obscure language with a cult following.

It won't be easy to rescue @property, but I believe it can be 
done, and will ultimately earn the support of the community.  I 
need help.  If you would like to help, please get in touch with 
me (JinShil on GitHub and Slack).  We need someone with good 
writing skills and the ability to be thorough to write the DIPs.  
Either that or it's on me, and that will take a long while.

Mike