Why is D unpopular?

[Paulo Pinto]

On Tuesday, 17 May 2022 at 01:03:14 UTC, forkit wrote:
> On Sunday, 15 May 2022 at 23:11:28 UTC, max haughton wrote:
>> On Sunday, 15 May 2022 at 18:47:22 UTC, IGotD- wrote:
>>> On Sunday, 15 May 2022 at 06:18:58 UTC, forkit wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Also, operating systems of the (near) future will require 
>>>> safety guarantees from the software that is intended to run 
>>>> on that operating system. C is not a language that 
>>>> facilitates this.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Um, no that will not happen, ever. The safety guarantee of 
>>> modern operating systems is and will be the MMU. Relying on 
>>> "safe" software will never be enough. There have been 
>>> attempts using safe intermediary languages like Microsoft 
>>> Singularity but don't expect this ever to be a commercial 
>>> operating system. The MMU is here to stay.
>>
>> I don't think the choice of language is going to make much 
>> difference but I'd be surprised if Apple don't do something 
>> along these lines in the future. They already scan and analyse 
>> applications relatively aggressive for mobile and to an extent 
>> for MacOS too.
>
> The choice of language can eliminate a whole class of bugs.
>
> It can also ensure the likelihood of a whole class of bugs.
>
> I'm sure you know this of course. I'm just stating the obvious.
>
> Fortunately, many get this, and are actively researching ways 
> to move away from C - e.g. 
> https://github.com/tock/tock/blob/master/doc/Design.md
>
> If Apple is not already doing very extensive research in this 
> area, I'd be ...rather shocked.
>...

That is what Swift is all about,

> Swift is intended as a replacement for C-based languages (C, 
> C++, and Objective-C).

Taken from https://www.swift.org/about/

> Swift is a successor to both the C and Objective-C languages.

Taken from https://developer.apple.com/swift/#fast

And some C improvements as well, thanks hardware memory tagging 
support

> In iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, Apple modified the C compiler 
> toolchain used to build the iBoot bootloader to improve its 
> security. The modified toolchain implements code designed to 
> prevent memory- and type-safety issues that are typically 
> encountered in C programs.

Taken from 
https://support.apple.com/guide/security/memory-safe-iboot-implementation-sec30d8d9ec1/web