What's the current state of D?

[Tyro[a.c.edwards]]

On 5/9/2009 3:38 AM, Steve Teale wrote:
> Walter Bright Wrote:
>
>> Steve Teale wrote:
>>> This is the sort of answer that will kill D. The guy comes back after
>>> 2 years, asks a straight question, and get's told "business as usual,
>>> we're still arguing among ourselves about what it should be".
>>>
>>> Maybe Tiobe is right! Lots of others may not even bother to ask. They
>>> just visit the newsgroup, read a page of it, and conclude "same old,
>>> same old", and go away.
>>>
>>> D should be D, not maybe 1.043, or let's wait a while and see what
>>> happens with D2. Potential real users hate uncertainty. If they are
>>> going to commit, then D must do so too.
>> What bothers me about this sentiment is that every other mainstream
>> language undergoes revision, sometimes major ones, but that never seems
>> to be an excuse for people to not use it.
>>
>> For example, C++ is quite in flux with C++0x.
>>
>> The only languages that are not undergoing revision are dead ones.
>
> Yes Walter, but C++ went through a tedious standardization process - itself a long argument. So there was some basis for people to think that it had 'got there'.
>
> But to come back after 2 years and find the same stuff still going on is depressing - been there done that. OK, it didn't put me off, I'm still in there, but it bothers me. I'd be dishonest if I said otherwise.
>
> I am not criticizing you. I think you are doing a great job under the pressure of a slew of suggestions. But maybe a line in the sand at some point?
>
> OK so for those who crave stability there is D1.x, but when all the focus appears to be on D2, what level of confidence is afforded to D1 users. Can a project Manager cross his heart and say that D1 will still be alive and well in five years time?
>

This is quite interesting! Before there was D1, I can remember the same 
requests being submitted over and over again. Tool developers complained 
that they could not use D for anything serious because of its constant 
state of flux. They continuously requested that a line be drawn. 
Shortly after that line was drawn in January 2007, a good majority of 
the community complained that it wasn't exactly what they asked for and 
a majority of the most active members of the community disappeared into 
thin air.

The sad thing is, even after D1 became stable following a number of bug 
fixes, very few people used it for much of anything. Those "advocates of 
stability" all disappeared; abandoning their tools/projects in the process.

The same thing is beginning again and it seems to me that instead of 
something that is actually useful, people a waiting for MicroMoney or 
some other name brand begins to invest in their own D compiler. As far 
as I see it, there will come a time when D language will soar above all 
the rest (not only in capability, which it already does, but also 
commercial usage), I will continue to support it until then and well 
beyond and I'm quite sure that I'm not the only one. For all the 
Naysayers out there... Keep saying nay and go the hell away. D2 is just 
where it is supposed to be. Let’s not end up in the same mess we did by 
trying to make impatient people happy and releasing D1.

Andrew