How do you use D?
I write code for a living.
We use D for writing the next generation critical large data
software. Sequencing centers churn out TBs of data per day and
writing code in Python does not cut it. Even JVM tools are
problematic when it comes to raw performance. Sambamba, written
in D, has been doing heavy lifting since 2014 and is running
every second of the day somewhere on an HPC diagnosing cancer.
Did you introduce D to your work place? How? What challenges
did you face?
Not that many as we make up the rules. Great programmers tend to
like D once they grok it.
Writing idiomatic D takes time though. I have written significant
code in a great number of languages, including Ruby, Python, C++,
Perl (ugh), Lisp, Elixir, Erlang, Scala... I am in a position to
state what I like. Currently I favor Ruby for the quick and
dirty, Elixir for web programming and D for data processing and
raw speed. It is the fastest car in my garage. It would be C++ if
I had no D - and I am very glad I don't have to write new code in
C++. There are reasons I still use other languages. Ruby feels
just slightly more productive and Elixir has some great features
too for a functional programming language. I have absolutely no
incentive to program in Go or Rust though I sometimes have to
read such code. I think Go is a royal pain.
What is you D setup at work, which compiler, which IDE?
ldc and emacs. GNU Guix handles all dependencies.
And any other fun facts you may want to share :)
Started late programming 70s after a stretch playing chess. Been
coding ever since. My first encounters with Walter were on
Compuserve when I was using Zortech and Symantec C++ compilers.
Obviously I am glad we moved forward, tooling-wise.
On Sunday, 6 August 2017 at 05:39:36 UTC, Laeeth Isharc wrote:
similar with programming language choices and such. Its way
better to appeal to people who make up their own mind and bear
the consequences then to those who have to cover their behinds
by getting the right ticks in the boxes because the are never
going to be earlier adopters except through some unfortunate
accident - because you also don't want such people as early
adopters!
I think that is very true. I can understand why the people
involved in D want it to be popular - to become famous, rich, or
if only to convince those at work. But I think it is fine to
target thousands of great programmers, rather than millions of
average ones. And D must be there. Similar to the Haskell and
Lisp communities we have the luxury of dealing with the best
programmers out there.
Hyped languages are for suckers.
Even so, if you are a D programmer and your work environment does
not allow you to use D, 'popularizing' D is not going to help
that (how do you popularize a powerful language?). Grind your
teeth and write in whatever the job dictates (I do that too), but
sneak in your best work in D without telling anyone. There are
always opportunities. Don't complain. Move on. That is my advice.
I predict D has enough momentum to stay and be a better
alternative to C/C++/JVM. Which is the main thing. Even when
Walter and Andrei would drop out, for whatever reason, D will
continue. There are some language features I would like, but to
be honest I can live without them.
