http://mozart-dev.sourceforge.net/ http://mozart-dev.sourceforge.net/xl_features.html http://mozart-dev.sourceforge.net/cp.html

> http://mozart-dev.sourceforge.net/ http://mozart-dev.sourceforge.net/xl_features.html http://mozart-dev.sourceforge.net/cp.html

The guy behind XL has a brilliant parody of C++ in

http://home.earthlink.net/~descubes/C--

He was also involved with C++ standardisation, which shows.

-Antti

Even as they work on XL, they are also hacking away at C++ enhancements.  C++ was their 'second-tier alternative' for a multiparadigm language. http://www.vandevoorde.com/Daveed/News/Archives/000014.html#000014

XL does the same thing as D, an evolution of C++.  They looked at all C++ had to offer -- even with custom language extensions -- and decided on a new language, which has seen several incarnations, the latest being XL.

A key to XL is the notion of language extension enabled by access to compiler data structures.  XL wants to support not just existing paradigms, but future, unforeseen paradigms too.  It is "the first language that mandates user-extensible compilers."  There is a lot here for D to chew on, including true generic types, reflection, function-based dynamic dispatch, etc.

B. Stroustroup shares similar feelings about multiparadigm programming, which he
considers to be the future (I concur with that much and is why I often mix
languages):
http://www.itworld.com/AppDev/710/lw-02-stroustrup/
http://technetcast.ddj.com/slides/SD2001eMPP.pdf

In light of Stroustroup's claim to believe in multiparadigm programming even back in the 80s, it is sad that he hobbled us with C++, instead of creating a clean new language that really supports it well.  And can be implemented by mere mortals.

XL looks very interesting but I'm not clear on the development state of the language yet.

Mark