Andrei Alexandrescu: Generic Programming Galore using D (video)

Abstract:

Generic programming holds great promise – ultimate reuse, unprecedented flexibility, and never a need to reimplement an algorithm from scratch due to abstraction penalties.

Unfortunately, the shiny city on the hill is difficult to reach. C++’s generic power has effectively reached a plateau – anything but the simplest generic constructs quickly turn an exponential complexity/benefit elbow. C++11 fails to be a strong sequel in the generic programming arena, and many other languages don’t seem to “get” genericity properly at all. The D programming language is a definite exception from this trend.

D makes short work of the most formidable generic programming tasks achievable with C++, and makes virtually impossible tasks readily doable. It also reduces the relevance of “Modern C++ Design” to that of an introductory brochure (much to the dismay of that book’s author).

This talk has a simple structure. It will pose a few generic programming tasks that seem difficult or impossible with current language technology, and then will show solutions in D that solve said problems.