Objective-D, reflective programming, dynamic typing

[grauzone]

Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:
> grauzone wrote:
>> Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:
>>> void fun(...)
>>> {
>>>     ... use void* _argptr and TypeInfo[] _arguments ...
>>> }
>>>
>>> I'll ignore the fact that binding the arguments to magic, predefined 
>>> names has the elegance of a fart interrupting a solemn moment. The 
>>> larger problem is the type of _argptr.
>>
>> That surprises me. Your string mixin callbacks (or whatever is the 
>> correct name for this idiom) in std.algorithm also use magic, 
>> predefined names like "a".
> 
> The situations are different. (The "$" in array index is also different.)

How are the situations different?

>>> No safety can be built into a function that traffics in void*, EVER. 
>>> No matter what you do. A proverb goes "No matter how nicely you dress 
>>> a mule, you'll still call it a mule." (It was s/mule/ass/g in 
>>> Romanian, but ass is ambiguous in English.) So yes, it would be a 
>>> waste of time to embellish a fundamentally deeply unsafe feature. A 
>>> better use of time would be to improve its safe counterpart.
>>
>> The void* is paired with a TypeInfo. A Variant uses raw data and 
>> TypeInfo, and manages to be reasonably safe. If you want guaranteed 
>> safety, you must use something like Java (or SafeD vaporware).
> 
> I don't want guaranteed safety. I want safety when lack thereof is 
> gratuitous.

Then what's your problem with using Variant?

> 
> Andrei