We should deprecate -release

[Walter Bright]

On 7/15/2024 11:20 AM, Richard (Rikki) Andrew Cattermole wrote:
> Right, but it's dmd we are talking about.
> 
> A compiler that no matter what switches are set internally or externally cannot 
> compete with ldc or gdc.

People benchmark it anyway.


> It is better to slap a message both in the version/help message of the compiler 
> and on the site that says "don't use dmd for reviewing of performance of D use 
> ldc/gdc instead".

People doing benchmarks do not read the site. That's the whole problem.


> Given this, it is better to simply remove the switch as it fools people into 
> doing unsafe things that give them a very bad day.

People don't develop code using a -release switch. Those spending time coding in 
D (rather than spending as little time as possible writing a benchmark) will be 
likely to spend time reading what a switch does before using it.

I've been in this business a long time. What people should do and what they do 
do is rarely aligned. People who do comparative benchmarks spend as little time 
as possible benchmarking a language/compiler they are not familiar with.

Have you ever read the descriptions of all the compiler switches on gcc or VC?

Me neither.