Go 1.9

[Ecstatic Coder via Digitalmars-d]

>> I'm assuming that D is for general purpose programming as well.
>
> That seems to be where it is heading.  I don't think D stands a 
> chance in that domain, but we'll see.

With all due respect, on the contrary I think that promoting D as 
a general purpose programming language could be its only chance 
to really improve its popularity, and thus significantly grow its 
current user base.

I'm sorry to repeat myself once again on this forum, but it's 
obvious to me that D's strongest feature at the moment is that it 
has the best syntax on the market.

Reference types, strings, maps, slices, arrays, UFCS, etc, 
everything is made so that the most obvious and readable code 
will work both safely and efficiently.

There is absolutely zero syntactic noise, the code is crystal 
clear.

So instead of losing many potential users by focusing on a niche 
market (unhappy C++ programmers), D should focus on its major 
strengths, which already now make it stand high above its 
competition.

For instance, all these programmer-friendly features make D even 
more convenient for scripting than scripting languages themselves.

Just add the instant compilation, and you actually have the 
perfect language for scripters and learning/inexperienced 
programmers who currently choose JavaScript, Python, Ruby because 
they don't know that the perfect language for their needs is 
actually D.

I strongly believe that D has the potential to be the killer 
"general purpose" language if :
1/ it is also promoted with this target in mind
2/ a few additional pre-installed libraries (web + ui) would make 
it as easy to develop cross-platform connected applications.

IMHO, trying to compete directly with C++, C# and Java, with the 
current state of the language and of its ecosystem, is simply 
choosing the hardest path to success...