Microsoft working on new systems language
Adam Wilson
flyboynw at gmail.com
Sat Dec 28 21:59:06 PST 2013
On Sat, 28 Dec 2013 03:13:53 -0800, Barry L. <barry.lapthorn at gmail.com>
wrote:
> Hello everyone, first post...
>
> Just saw this:
> http://joeduffyblog.com/2013/12/27/csharp-for-systems-programming/
>
> D (and Rust) get a mention with this quote: "There are other candidates
> early in their lives, too, most notably Rust and D. But hey, my team
> works at Microsoft, where there is ample C# talent and community just an
> arm’s length away."
>
I want to make a point here that many people come to do looking for
something that is as performant as C++ with the ease of C# or Java, and
for the most part (using LDC/GDC) you get exactly that. This language
could convince me to go back to C#. Particularly if it's cross-platform.
C# is a solid language that is used by a lot of people. And it is
supported by a large corporate entity with mountains of money and a vested
interest in making it successful. They can kill bugs and make improvements
at a phenomenal pace (look at the job they did with C# 1.0->2.0).
This needs to be a wake up call for the D community. For a long time D has
occupied the Programmer Efficient and Safe Native Compiled Language niche
more or less unchallenged in any serious way (with a nod to Rust). If
Microsoft actually goes through with this (and they will since the .NET
runtime is murderous on mobile device battery performance) the argument
for D will get much harder to make. Yes we can argue the ideology of one
technical bullet point versus another, but that misses the point. The vast
majority of programmers pick their languages based not on ideological
purity, but on ability to get stuff done quickly. Obviously this is more
than just the language, it's also the availability of tutorials and
examples. But there isn't much we can do about that at this point. And
there is a LOT of things that C# can do that D cannot. Cross-library
namespace composability is big on my personal list. Or proper shared
libraries. Or, etc.
I know that I wanted out of the Microsoft world for performance and
cross-platform reasons. However with this project, especially the interest
in cross-platforming it that they seem to be showing, they will have a
much easier time getting me back. After all I came from to D from C#, it
wouldn't be hard to go back.
So while we're celebrating that D mentioned in an article that made the
front-page of reddit (by virtue of it's author being well-respected and
the importance of his employer) let us also reflect on what this news most
likely means for D. Microsoft can invalidate us almost overnight with
mountains money and the size of their community. Yes we got an honorable
mention, that also means we're on the radars of people who matter...
--
Adam Wilson
IRC: LightBender
Project Coordinator
The Horizon Project
http://www.thehorizonproject.org/
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