[Geany-devel] OT replace c++ - Re: project build dialog - Re: [ANNOUNCE] gproject - yet another geany project plugin

[Nick Treleaven]

On Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:28:42 +0200
Jiří Techet <techet at gmail.com> wrote:

> >> Go is not a good replacement for C++, try D. Some people say Go is a
> >> good replacement for C.
> >
> > And some people say that it has sadly made some decisions that prevent
> > it being that, but with Google behind it it may succeed anyway, after
> > all C succeeded for non technical reasons.
> 
> It's definitely not a replacement for C - C is just a higher-level
> assembler that is (mis)used by projects that would normally use a
> higher-level language if there was a sane alternative (geany for
> example). You can almost see the instructions into which it
> translates. I can't imagine that projects like linux kernel would ever
> use a garbage-collected languauge.
> 
> I've never used D so I can't comment much on that but as Lex said - D
> has no chance because there is no big corporation behind it, while for

I agree it helps, but are there really no successful widespread
languages that didn't have corporate backing?

> go I see some chances. And I like many design decisions behind go -
> the good thing is that they have taken into account both practical and
> theoretical aspects. One has to make compromises (e.g. to have easy to
> use build commands dialog or more general dialog ;-), but I think they
> went the right direction.

Go doesn't give the user much power vs C++ or D. That's why I think D
is a more natural replacement for C++.

> And it's fast. I spend one hour a day just
> compiling with C++ code.

A D developer says it's faster than Go at compiling, and it has
templates:
http://www.digitalmars.com/pnews/read.php?server=news.digitalmars.com&group=digitalmars.D&artnum=108831

> Anyway, for practical reasons the best choice right now is to stick
> with C, C++, Python, and if I have to, Java. One should just use the
> most portable, tested and widespread language.

Then no better ones will come along, but I understand what you're
saying.

Regards,
Nick