Top 5

[Bruno Medeiros]

Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:
> Ok, per Aarti's suggestion: without speaking officially for Walter, let 
> me ask this - what do you think are the top issues you'd like to see 
> fixed in D?
> 
> Andrei


1. The D runtime issue, so that the standard libraries are both compatible.
(seems we are on a good track on this one)


2. Better compiler tools. We keep hearing about limitations in the DMD
linker and back-end, and it seems like it's really holding back lots of
things (performance, some template features, portability to other
platforms, etc.). Maybe LDC will help these, but as a side project, it's 
not as nice as Walter directly working on it, or something similar.
It would also be nice if the bud/rebuild functionality were integrated 
into a D compiler.


3. Concentrate on cleaning up various language issues, even before you 
try venturing into complex new feature for concurrency and whatnot. *Get 
the basics right first.* Here's some examples, quoted from Sean because 
I fully agree:

* "I'd like to see real support for properties or at least more
stringent compiler rules regarding the instances where a function can
and can't be called without parens.  Calling delegates should always
require the use of parens, for example.  This isn't a show-stopper, but
the current situation feels like it requires experimentation to make
sure actual behavior matches expected behavior, and I think this
wouldn't be an issue with in-language support for properties."
Yes. There will be no peace as long as there are ambiguities in the 
function call syntax.

* "Dump support for legacy features such as the pre-D1 dual meaning of
'auto'.  I'd also like to see support for C-style array an function
pointer declarations dropped.  These aren't a huge issue to me, but I'd
prefer if D didn't have any such easter eggs.  Drop foreach_reverse
too--it is a well-intended disaster."

* I'll add my own: fix static arrays so that they are regular types, 
just like any other. Fix forward reference problems, as well as the 
myriad of other bugs that keep hampering D development.


4. Reform the system for implicit conversions between basic types. 
Forget about this C legacy, and implement a safer, better system (like 
the one Don proposed).


5. I know of a lot of other issues, but at least for now can't think of 
any that stands out more than the others to earn the 5th place. In any 
case the 4 issues above form a good picture of what I think are the most 
important issues.


-- 
Bruno Medeiros - Software Developer, MSc. in CS/E graduate
http://www.prowiki.org/wiki4d/wiki.cgi?BrunoMedeiros#D