One step out of the TypeInfo stalemate

[Andrei Alexandrescu]

On 7/25/20 1:31 PM, Timon Gehr wrote:
> On 25.07.20 18:34, Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:
>> `.object.__getTypeInfo!MyStruct()`. That function uses a singleton 
>> with lazy allocation.
> 
> What prevents putting it into the static data segment?

Great idea. That can be done in the function, like here:

https://github.com/dlang/phobos/blob/master/std/experimental/allocator/package.d#L996

The overriding principle is take out trickery and magic out of the 
compiler and imbue the language itself with the power to express such 
things. Ideally the compiler would be a consistent lowering machine to a 
small core language with carefully defined semantics. Haskell does that:

https://gitlab.haskell.org/ghc/ghc/-/wikis/commentary/compiler/core-syn-type

It seems our community is favorable of the notion but the attitude has 
not quite dyed in our wool yet. Walter himself is not yet 100% there.

If we value that, typeid(Type) and typeid(expression) would lower to one 
of the simpler known expressions - a function call that requires no 
special compiler support.