Super-dee-duper D features

[janderson]

janderson wrote:
> Andrei Alexandrescu (See Website For Email) wrote:
>> janderson wrote:
>>> Andrei Alexandrescu (See Website For Email) wrote:
>>>> janderson wrote:
>>>>> Note: I'm not arguing that meta-programming should be higher 
>>>>> priority then say reflection.  I'm just arguing that its just an 
>>>>> extension to what programmers do on a day-to-day basis.
>>>>
>>>> But metaprogramming *gives* reflection (as even you and others 
>>>> discussed recently). The half-assed way to do reflection is to have 
>>>> the language implementer sit down and define the run-time reflection 
>>>> mechanism. The full-assed way is to define compile-time reflection, 
>>>> to then allow people to define and refine run-time reflection 
>>>> mechanisms as libraries, in addition to many other useful libraries! 
>>>> It's like in the fish vs. fishing parable.
>>>
>>> I agree but its like the stl vectors.  I'm unsure weather it just is 
>>> easier to have that kinda thing in the language because it already 
>>> has much of that information. 
>>
>> The information being there is all the more reason to make it 
>> available during compilation, for reflection and many other purposes, 
>> e.g. PyD being one of them.
>>
>>> Also to write a reflection program that doesn't require wrapping each 
>>> and every call you'd need to write a fully fledged compiler which may 
>>> become out of sync with the compiler.   I'm undecided on this matter.
>>
>> Not sure I understand. All that will be needed to make Widget 
>> available is:
>>
>> mixin Manifest!(Widget);
>>
>> I don't see where the syncing problem occurs.
> 
> This is wrapping each class.  What if the the code was hidden in a 
> library or something.  How would you get a such information?  Also 
> wrapping each class is not as neat as a complete code analysis could be 
> (which is possible in mixin, just very difficult and slow).
> 
> Syncing problems could still occur if Walter decides to make some change 
> in the language syntax.
> 
> -Joel
> 
>>
>> Andrei

That's my argument against.  My argument for would be that you would be 
able to build up a much more powerful reflection then Walter would ever 
have time to create.  For instance you should be able to create a unique 
ID for ever class so you can version (so if they change, you can still 
serialize them correctly).

-Joel