D programming language popularity

[Ola Fosheim Grøstad]

On Wednesday, 4 November 2020 at 23:44:04 UTC, random wrote:
> A language compiling to native code with system level features 
> and a GC is just a strange niche. You can turn of the GC but 
> then you can't use all of the language anymore. I can't imagine 
> a situation in which i really have to use a native language but 
> want a GC...

A GC is useful for prototyping, but the problem with D is that 
there is no adequate model for ownership in the type system. It 
is not difficult to fix, you just need people to understand that 
multiple pointer types are needed and has to be agreed upon.

Until this happens the GC will continue to be problematic as you 
have to rely on ad hoc solutions with no real help from the type 
system. How do you gracefully transition code from GC managed to 
some other scheme?

Or you could add sanitizer mechanism and catch typing issues at 
runtime during testing.

But D needs something more than what is on the map. That is 
obvious.