Remember the Vasa! by Bjarne Stroustrup

[TheMightWarship]

On Tuesday, 29 May 2018 at 01:46:47 UTC, Walter Bright wrote:
> A cautionary tale we should all keep in mind.
>
> http://open-std.org/JTC1/SC22/WG21/docs/papers/2018/p0977r0.pdf
>
> https://www.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/8mq10v/bjarne_stroustroup_remeber_the_vasa_critique_of/
>
> https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17172057

Bjarne  opens with: "Many/most people in WG21 are working 
independently towards non-shared goals."

I presume, this is essentially a criticism??

If so, I reject that as criticism. There has to be room for 
allowing people to puruse their individual goals too, and a 
programming langauge should allow that as well.

The idea that less is more? Well, take a look at golang. Less 
means less, not more.

When I go out to do a job, a take only those tools I'll need for 
the job. I'm not expected to take every tool ever created, and 
know how to use each of those tools. I take, and use, the tools I 
need for that particular job.

A programming langauge should not restrict the availability of 
tools, unless is want to be the tool for a particular job.

New features, that people want, are essentially 'tools' that they 
want. (and typically, tools they already have in one or more 
other langauges).

Lets not contain complexity, by preventing it from every 
occurring - otherwise, nothing would exist.