Ghosting a language feature

[Ola Fosheim Grøstad]

On Thursday, 1 October 2020 at 09:49:20 UTC, Walter Bright wrote:
> The only workable scheme I can think of is the customer who 
> needs X (every customer has different issues that need 
> attention) needs to find or fund an engineer to do it. This is 
> why D is open source.

Clearly not. There are at least two options:

1. Do as C++ compilers do, support multiple language-versions to 
the same backend. The easiest way to do this is to have a shared 
mid-level IR and ship with multiple front ends.

2. Label a specific Linux distribution as supported and specific 
compiler front ends, and make sure that all those work on the 
last few major releases of that Linux distribution.

Then plan for it. It is a matter of strategic choices. Not at all 
difficult to achieve. (Just refuse changes that jeopardise the 
core strategy.)