D - more power than (really) needed !

[Lars Ivar Igesund]

Hasan Aljudy wrote:

> bls wrote:
>> Since I am allways looking for new friends <g> ,and because my opinion
>> does not fit into the "D - more or less power than C++" discussion,
>> another opinion: D - more power than (really) needed !
>> 
>> Preface :
>> I guess most people here coming from C++/Java .. my background
>> (Modula/Oberon/4GL) is different.
>> Ergo : I have an other view regarding D.
>> So why D has enough power ?
>> 
>> Templates nice to have, but nessesary ? No. Let me quote Betrand Meyer.
>> ~~~ "Inheritance is more powerfull than  using templates"
>> Yes, I know Eiffel supports templates but the point is that everything
>> can also be done using inheritance. And heh, we have GC.
>> Also, i feel using templates is like learing an dialect. (well D's
>> implementation is at least readable)
>> 
>> The Oberon Language spec. has 18 pages is extremly simple and
>> enables you to create an combined code/text/graphic editor, using
>> inheritance and a good choice of patterns,  which has much more power
>> than let's say Scintilla.
>> So I wonder how can this be done with such a simple language, and
>> what does it mean for D? D more power than REALLY needed!
>> 
>> One of the things that I found really impressive (and unexpected) is
>> that D code is readable. Good Design!
>> 
>> Just my opinion.
>> Björn Lietz-Spendig
>> SIMPLE IS BEAUTIFULL
>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> It's ironic that the overview page on the digital mars website makes
> comments about C++ having many "islands" ..
> I think back then D didn't have templates. Well, now it does, and those
> comments are applicable to D as much as they are to C++
> 
> <quote src=http://www.digitalmars.com/d/overview.html>
> C++ programmers tend to program in particular islands of the language,
> i.e. getting very proficient using certain features while avoiding other
> feature sets. While the code is usually portable from compiler to
> compiler, it can be hard to port it from programmer to programmer. A
> great strength of C++ is that it can support many radically different
> styles of programming - but in long term use, the overlapping and
> contradictory styles are a hindrance.
> </quote>

I have to disagree that this is yet a problem. In C++, the templates look
radically different from the rest of the language. Templates in D actually
look like the rest of the language, only that you have to use recursion to
get the advanced stuff working. (I know that I made a similar advocacy
against templates three years ago, but I've changed my mind...).

I think that walter has been good at adding features that are easy to grok
even for those new to the language, they don't really syntactically crash.