Why will the delete keyword be removed?

[Max Samukha]

On 07/14/2010 12:50 AM, Andrei Alexandrescu wrote:
> On 07/13/2010 03:51 PM, Trass3r wrote:
>> Does it really add so much complexity to the compiler that it's worth
>> removing?
>
> It adds misconception and confusion. delete must disappear from D.
>
> Andrei

FWIW, the current implementation of clear() has at least one problem 
that guarantees my not using it: the default constructor may be 
arbitrarily complex (for example, it may allocate an expensive 
resource), so running it on the dead object is not acceptable.

Also, as other people mentioned, resurrecting the dead object prevents 
the program from failing early in case a dangling pointer to that object 
gets dereferenced.

I'd probably want clear() to run the destructor and zero the object's 
memory. This way the objects the dead object may reference can be GCed 
even in the presence of dangling pointers the dead object. Additionally, 
the probability of the program failing early on a dangling pointer 
dereference is high because the vtable pointer is null (any virtual call 
is bound to fail).

Or something like that.