My thoughts on D

[John Colvin]

On Monday, 19 August 2013 at 10:10:58 UTC, Larry wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Maybe nobody cares, maybe not.
>
> I use D for a month now.
>
> It is great, the community is great.
> Really easy to handle it enables to get the productivity it 
> promises.
>
> Almost.
>
> I used to run c++. I don't even want to look at my codes now.
>
> Instead, I run python along with D.
>
> D is very powerful.
>
> But it suffers in the details.
>
> 1) The library is getting wider. Good. But as of now, it is 
> still TOO MUCH in the c++ style, in which you have to go to 
> github to grab some non official libraries.
> Sometimes it works, sometimes it won't (of course it will 
> compile but not easy to use or error prone -> not a good 
> standard for a language)
>
> 2) In comparison, when you use Python, everything is under your 
> hand. No real need to go on github or so on to keep working. 
> Everything feels "safe".
> We miss a "gathering point". A bit like pip or the deprecated 
> easy-install.

dub is a D package manager. Depending on your OS, you might have 
to download *it* from github, but after that you'll have a wide 
range of tools at your fingertips. http://code.dlang.org/

> 3) Some pages are not documented properly. And, as i am not 
> someone pointing out the problems and hiding when time comes to 
> propose solutions/solve them, I cannot even figure out the way 
> some standard libraries are expected to work.
> (e.g:json; the json.org might be helpful but, common, we should 
> have it directly here, not traversing the web (exagerated) to 
> find a clue).
>
> 4) Even the merge with 4.9 is no help on these points. 
> Gathering people, yes, showing them a path to follow to be able 
> to stick together, double yes.
> But the latter seems, ATM, a big no.
> I know many of you are really smart, so just take this 
> mataphorism : Napoleon, even if one of the greatest commander, 
> would have got far if no backed by generals and a great army 
> knowing where it is going.
> Let's make a courtesy to D : please do not let it be jailed in 
> Elbe island. It only asks to fly.
>
> It is definitely not a bad criticism, please do not take it for 
> such platitude.
> I would like to see D far beyond what it is currently.
>
> You made a GREAT job. Now, let the community help. We need 
> batteries included (python-like). Then everyone will like it: 
> compiled-ultra speed + great useful and centralized libraries.
>
> English is not my native speaking, please be kind with it :)
>
> Thanks,
>
> Larry