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0 pointskeybored1y ago0 comments

> But the point is that all that is done at compile time, which is also the time when all more specialised features are checked.

> ...

> Again, everything is checked at compile-time. Once it compiles it will work just like generics.

No. My compile-time when using a library with a comptime type in Zig is not guaranteed to work because my user experience could depend on if the library writer tested with the types (or compile-time input) that I am using.[1] That’s not a problem in Java or Haskell: if the library works for Mary it will work for John no matter what the type-inputs are.

> That's fine and expected. I believe that most language preferences are aesthetic, and there have been few objective reasons to prefer some designs over others, and usually it's a matter of personal preference or "extra-linguistic" concerns, such as availability of developers and libraries, maturity, etc..

Please don’t retreat to aesthetics. What I brought up is a concrete and objective user experience tradeoff.

[1] based on https://strongly-typed-thoughts.net/blog/zig-2025#comptime-i...

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pron1y ago

> No. My compile-time when using a library with a comptime type in Zig is not guaranteed to work because my user experience could depend on if the library writer tested with the types (or compile-time input) that I am using.[1] That’s not a problem in Java or Haskell: if the library works for Mary it will work for John no matter what the type-inputs are.

What you're saying isn't very meaningful. Even generics may impose restrictions on their type parameters (e.g. typeclasses in Zig or type bounds in Java) and don't necessarily work for all types. In both cases you know at compile-time whether your types fit the bounds or not.

It is true that the restrictions in Haskell/Java are more declarative, but the distinction is more a matter of personal aesthetic preference, which is exactly what's expressed in that blog post (although comptime is about as different from C++ templates as it is from Haskell/Java generics). Like anything, and especially truly novel approaches, it's not for everyone's tastes, but neither are Java, Haskell, or Rust, for that matter. That doesn't make Zig's approach any less novel or interesting, even if you don't like it. I find Rust's design unpalatable, but that doesn't mean it's not interesting or impressive, and Zig's approach -- again, like it or not -- is even more novel.

keyboredOP1y ago

> What you're saying isn't very meaningful. Even generics may impose restrictions on their type parameters (e.g. typeclasses in Zig or type bounds in Java) and don't necessarily work for all types. In both cases you know at compile-time whether your types fit the bounds or not.

Java type-bounds is what I mean with declarative. The library author wrote them, I know them, I have to follow them. It’s all spelled out. According to the link that’s not the case with the Zig comptime machinery. It’s effectively duck-typed from the point of view of the client (declaration).

I also had another source in mind which explicitly described how Zig comptime is “duck typed” but I can’t seem to find it. Really annoying.

> It is true that the restrictions in Haskell/Java are more declarative, but the distinction is more a matter of personal aesthetic preference, which is exactly what's expressed in that blog post (although comptime is about as different from C++ templates as it is from Haskell/Java generics).

It’s about as aesthetic as having spelled out reasons (usability) for preferring static typing over dynamic typing or vice versa. It’s really not. At all.

> , but that doesn't mean it's not interesting or impressive, and Zig's approach -- again, like it or not -- is even more novel.

I prefer meaningful leaps forward in programming language usability over supposed most-streamlined and clever approaches (comptime all the way down). I guess I’m just a pragmatist in that very narrow area.

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