On Saturday, 29 September 2012 at 23:49:47 UTC, Tommi wrote:
It is quite a mess. I think I'm ready to admit that this is not a feature we'd like to have in this language (probably not in any language for that matter).
Using "with" should do the trick just fine for the few situations where there's too much redundant typing. I think adding new features needs to take a distant back seat to the far FAR more important issues in need of repair. For example, I cannot run D reliably from C/C++, yet that is one of the advertised features that compelled me to seriously consider D as a viable alternative to C/C++. What about dynamic linking? Nope, not yet. This is basic stuff!
Should anyone really care about reducing the amount of typing you have to do when they can barely even use the language as it currently stands?
There are however seemingly trivial items that probably should be added to D, but not as a convenience, instead to make it truely practical in a production environment.
Now having said the above, the last thing D should become is stagnant for sake of preserving backwards compatibility. D2 is not D1, and D3 should not have to be D2. Personally, I'm in favor of the idea of breaking existing code so that past mistakes can be repaired and significant improvements can be implemented, but that should mean moving on to the next major version.
--rt
