Why is D unpopular, redux.

[Ola Fosheim Grøstad]

On Tuesday, 24 May 2022 at 23:48:06 UTC, deadalnix wrote:
> Well, the thing is, D is good at many thing, but it's not great 
> at one thing. You therefore don't get that 1% of dev who really 
> want or even need it.

Yes, and since growth where there is a networking effect might 
follow the exponential-like S shape (sigmoid) we can also expect 
that libraries/frameworks happen when we enter the steep slope of 
the S curve. That one Rust feature is acting like a catalyst, you 
get higher density of a particular user type. Same with Go, since 
it was Google the initial influx was people with an interest in 
web or cloud, so that would be how it entered the S shape, the 
libraries/framework follow from that density of user types and 
boosted the already existing networking effect.

We dont really see a networking effect in D.

We dont see a condensation of a particular user type, except 
metaprogramming and language evolution, and that has boosted 
demands that doesn’t increase a particular niche fitness.

> These action taken effectively prevent the ecosystem from 
> growing. Just like bonsai, it get trimmed on a regular basis, 
> so it stays small.

Yes, it has to fix all the individual causes that prevents 
retention, then communicate a clear specific vision that fits a 
niche that is poorly covered. Could be gui apps on Linux or 
something else, but something specific is easier to target and 
measure than something abstract.

By being more specific you also can grow the ecosystem somewhat 
faster because the key demands are more focused.