Language design discussions

D is an evolving and complex language. New features are proposed, unexpected interaction in old ones get found, design issues are raised. All this may involve hard debates in D newsgroup and if often forgotten. This page serves as an index for major design discussions and proposals.

Formal improvement proposals can be found on the main DIP index.

Properties

Description

Initial @property design has issues. How can it be changed or even discarded at all?

Thread

• Initial discussion where this topic has rised
• Walters follow-up with proposal to kill property, most info here

Essential moments

Property Discussion Wrap-up

Proposals

• Property Discussion Proposal 1
• DIP21

Access specifiers and symbol visibility

Description

Currently there is feature like "static global" in C or "unnamed namespace" in C++. Access specifiers for module-level symbols control access, not visibility. Ability to hide symbols needs to be added without breaking current access system.

As a result of discussion, Walter has asked for DIP on this topic.

Essential moments

• Walter's final resolution about topics to cover in DIP

Thread

• Initial thread that has raised this topic
• Follow-up about current state of affairs
• Access specifiers and visibility - combined data to make a decision upon

Proposal

DIP22

auto ref

Thread

• auto ref - again

Built-in associative array issues

Description

Present AA implementation has lot of problems and most likely needs to be reworked. AA_Implementation_Issues

volatile

Threads

• October 2013 Discussion
• September 2013 Discussion
• July 2012 Discussion
• July 2004 Discussion
• June 2004 Discussion
• May 2004 Discussion
• March 2002 Discussion

Essential Moments

• shared considered a volatile type in GDC, more more
• compiler does not cache shared data in GDC

Proposals

• DIP20
  • October 2012 Discussion
• DIP17 - Superceded by DIP20

final-by-default

Threads

• March 2014 Discussion
• May 2013 Discussion

Essential Moments

• Manu provides justification for final-by-default
• Walter concedes
• Walter posts decision citing JSON regression and almost losing a client.
  • Client affected by JSON regression steps forward encouraging gradual, managed change
• Andrei puts his foot down stating there will be no final-by-default in the D programming language.

rvalue references

Threads

• April 2013 Discussion
• April 2012 Discussion
• Issue Report

Inherited constructors

Description

When inheriting a class, the new class does not inherit its constructors. Any base class constructors need to be manually forwarded to. A library solution to automatically mix-in forwarding constructors is possible, but a language solution is possible too.

Note that C++11 supports this feature.

Threads

• todo

Automatic Reference Counting (ARC) as an alternative to D's Garbage Collector

Threads

• Walter's October 2013 Draft Proposal and Discussion

Essential Moments

• {Feel free add some}