"The End of Native Code"

[Daniel Keep]

David Medlock wrote:
> Daniel Keep wrote:
>>
>> [snip]
>>
> I make my living as a Java developer for 10 years now, so I would
> definitely say I don't have an aversion to bytecode languages.
> 
> Actually the majority of my non-D hobby programming is in python and
> lua, the opposite end of native-code languages.
> 
> Please try not to draw conclusions which aren't there.  I like doing
> games and have some significant code developed.  To adopt C# I have to:
> 
> 1. Learn a new language(not too difficult but still annoying with little
> benefit over D)
> 
> 2. Find wrappers for any libraries I may be using or write them.
> 
> 3. Get used to MS development tools, which I have not really used at all.
> 
> 4. Make sure anyone who tries my programs has .NET installed.
> 
> 5. Expect some difficulty re: cross platform games if I use any MS
> specific .NET libraries.
> 
> Thanks.

My apologies if I offended you; I see far too many programmers turn
their nose up at a language because "eww, it's not native code therefore
it sucks!" or "eww, it's native code therefore it sucks!".

Also, if you have been programming in Java for ten years, you have my
sympathies.  I used it for two sessions at university and I barely got
out with my sanity intact ;) [1]

As for MS-specific stuff, you can avoid that entirely and go with Mono.
 That gets you compilers and a runtime.  You don't even need C# if you
want to play with Nemerle.  You can just use Nemerle, Boo
(Python-inspired but statically typed with type inference) or IronPython
(full Python implementation for .NET).

MS-specific libraries aren't much of a problem.  I believe Mono now
supports much of System.Windows.Forms (just don't call any Win32 APIs),
but failing that you can use GTK# (which has Windows installers), and
you can always use OpenGL+OpenAL instead of DirectX.

And finally, Java needs a runtime, too.  Actually, considering that the
latest ATI video card drivers *require* .NET [2], I'd say a fair few
Windows users would have it by now.

	-- Daniel

[1] Case in point: our lecturer was trying to teach us how to program
using Objects since C++ isn't object oriented and we were all clearly
unbelievers.  How does he teach us?  He takes hello world.  Good old six
line hello world.  He spends fifteen minutes "object orienting" it.  It
ends up something like 60-70 lines across three files.

"This is java.  It is good."

I think I heard someone sobbing at that point... or it might have been me...

[2] For the record, I think this is ridiculous.  Installing the new ATI
drivers is ~35MB.  That's without the .NET runtime.

-- 
Unlike Knuth, I have neither proven or tried the above; it may not even
make sense.

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