Do we need a time-out in D evolution?

[Dave]

Bill Baxter wrote:
> Walter Bright wrote:
>> Deewiant wrote:
>>> Walter Bright wrote:
>>>> const by default is too big a change, and I'm reluctant to do something
>>>> so far out of the mainstream of these types of languages.
>>>
>>> Perl 6 has const by default for subroutine parameters. Okay, so it's 
>>> not "this
>>> type of language", but it's worth mentioning as it's still _Perl_, a 
>>> language
>>> steadily a couple or more places above D in the TIOBE index.
>>
>> By "these types of languages", I mean C-style compiled languages. 
>> There are many functional languages where const is the default.
> 
> Hey, Perl is a "curly brace" language too!  ;-)
> 
> Here's the lo-down on Perl 6:
> http://www.perl.com/pub/a/2003/07/29/exegesis6.html
> 
> They're using the syntax
> sub Foo(Num x) { ... }  # x is const ref
> sub Foo(Num x is rw) { ... }  # x is 'read-write' ref
> sub Foo(Num x is copy) { ... } # x is pass by value
> 

Funny thing is since the whole history of Perl revolves around practicality, to me this is a pretty 
strong argument that the time is ripe for a C-style compiled language to try the same thing.

> --bb