http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2007/09/02/vala-high-level-programming-with-less-fat

"Vala is still a work in progress, but support for the language is growing rapidly. Close GObject integration makes Vala an ideal choice for GNOME development, and the requisite library support is steadily falling into place. Vala's biggest deficiency right now is the lack of documentation. In time, Vala could replace C as the principle language of the GNOME platform."

kris wrote:
> http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2007/09/02/vala-high-level-programming-with-less-fat 
> 
> 
> "Vala is still a work in progress, but support for the language is growing rapidly. Close GObject integration makes Vala an ideal choice for GNOME development, and the requisite library support is steadily falling into place. Vala's biggest deficiency right now is the lack of documentation. In time, Vala could replace C as the principle language of the GNOME platform."

Most of the listed features, D has too:

- Interfaces
- Properties
- Signals  (why is this a language feature?)
- Foreach
- Lambda expressions
- Type inference for local variables
- Generics
- Non-null types
- Assisted memory management
- Exception handling
- Type modules (Plugins)

I'm not sure how type modules work, but I do know about non-null types, and they would sure be nice in D.


  -- Reiner

Reiner Pope wrote:
> kris wrote:
>> http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2007/09/02/vala-high-level-programming-with-less-fat 
>>
>>
>> "Vala is still a work in progress, but support for the language is growing rapidly. Close GObject integration makes Vala an ideal choice for GNOME development, and the requisite library support is steadily falling into place. Vala's biggest deficiency right now is the lack of documentation. In time, Vala could replace C as the principle language of the GNOME platform."
> 
> Most of the listed features, D has too:
> 
> - Interfaces
> - Properties
> - Signals  (why is this a language feature?)

For object destruction notification with weak pointers, some runtime support is required, which one could argue imposes language requirements.

> - Foreach
> - Lambda expressions
> - Type inference for local variables
> - Generics

Generics or templates?  Big difference.

> - Non-null types
> - Assisted memory management
> - Exception handling
> - Type modules (Plugins)
> 
> I'm not sure how type modules work, but I do know about non-null types, and they would sure be nice in D.

Plugin support in D would be great.  There is DDL...


Sean

Sean Kelly schrieb:
>> - Type modules (Plugins)
>>
>> I'm not sure how type modules work, but I do know about non-null types, and they would sure be nice in D.
> 
> Plugin support in D would be great.  There is DDL...
> 

Meanwhile I am quit pessimistic regarding DDL
Bjoern
> 
> Sean

kris wrote:
> http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2007/09/02/vala-high-level-programming-with-less-fat 
> 
> 
> "Vala is still a work in progress, but support for the language is growing rapidly. Close GObject integration makes Vala an ideal choice for GNOME development, and the requisite library support is steadily falling into place. Vala's biggest deficiency right now is the lack of documentation. In time, Vala could replace C as the principle language of the GNOME platform."

Looks like the GNOME folks wanted to write their own language specifically for GNOME stuff. That said, 'Vala /might/ replace C for the GNOME team.' I don't think many outside the GNOME team would be very interested.

~ Clay

kris wrote:
> http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2007/09/02/vala-high-level-programming-with-less-fat 
> 
> 
> "Vala is still a work in progress, but support for the language is growing rapidly. Close GObject integration makes Vala an ideal choice for GNOME development, and the requisite library support is steadily falling into place. Vala's biggest deficiency right now is the lack of documentation. In time, Vala could replace C as the principle language of the GNOME platform."

I think you've been oversold.  Note that it's at version 0.13.  Read how it does memory management. Search the site for documentation.  (Documentation is one of the main reasons that I've avoided gcj.  I NEED to be able to call C libraries...and gcj will let me, but won't describe how.  [Well, *I* haven't found where it's described.]  I could use Fortran or Ada, but they don't have garbage collection.  Eiffel, another possibility, is still recovering from it's most recent schism...and it provokes them so often that it's never been able to standardize it's libraries.  [E.g., gobo works with SmartEiffel 1.0, but not with 1.2, and the compiler writers are disdainful of any suggestion that they should consider that a problem.  "To us SmartEiffel is a research project.")

Vala is interesting, especially because it looks to have easy support for GTK, and easy linkage to C.  (Both ways?  It's not clear.  Could you call a Vala routine from a program started in C?)

And as usual the problem is with C++ libraries.  Nobody but C++ appears able to talk to them directly.  At some point I really MUST learn to use swig.

But D is here now, and if the libraries aren't all that one could wish, they show promise of growing over time, and not being arbitrarily broken.

Charles D Hixson wrote:
> But D is here now, and if the libraries aren't all that one could wish, they show promise of growing over time, and not being arbitrarily broken.

Also D has very easy compatibility with C, and it goes both ways.

Charles D Hixson wrote:
> kris wrote:
>> http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2007/09/02/vala-high-level-programming-with-less-fat 
>>
>>
>> "Vala is still a work in progress, but support for the language is growing rapidly. Close GObject integration makes Vala an ideal choice for GNOME development, and the requisite library support is steadily falling into place. Vala's biggest deficiency right now is the lack of documentation. In time, Vala could replace C as the principle language of the GNOME platform."
> 
> I think you've been oversold.  

Who? Me? I'm just the messenger boy. Thought ppl might be interested?

Clay Smith wrote:
> kris wrote:
>> http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2007/09/02/vala-high-level-programming-with-less-fat 
>>
>>
>> "Vala is still a work in progress, but support for the language is growing rapidly. Close GObject integration makes Vala an ideal choice for GNOME development, and the requisite library support is steadily falling into place. Vala's biggest deficiency right now is the lack of documentation. In time, Vala could replace C as the principle language of the GNOME platform."
> 
> Looks like the GNOME folks wanted to write their own language specifically for GNOME stuff. That said, 'Vala /might/ replace C for the GNOME team.' I don't think many outside the GNOME team would be very interested.

It sounds to me like they're trying to make something like ObjC but based on glib.

--bb

kris wrote:
> Charles D Hixson wrote:
>> kris wrote:
>>> http://arstechnica.com/journals/linux.ars/2007/09/02/vala-high-level-programming-with-less-fat 
>>>...
>> I think you've been oversold.  
> 
> Who? Me? I'm just the messenger boy. Thought ppl might be interested?

And I quote " Vala could replace C ...".  (It *is* interesting.)