Python & Go

[kj]

In <129a67e4-328c-42b9-9bf3-152f1b76fa5a at k19g2000yqc.googlegroups.com> Michele Simionato <michele.simionato at gmail.com> writes:

>It does not look so primitive to me, compared to commonly used
>languages.
>I am pretty sure that they are "missing a lot of the latest ideas" on
>purpose. If they want to succeed and make Go a popular language in the
>Google
>infrastructure (ideally replacing C++) their selling point must be a
>nearly zero
>learning curve. Python succeded with the low learning curve idea. I
>wish them
>the best. Certainly it is time to replace C with something more
>modern, be it Go
>or some other language.

The two goals of replacing C with "something more modern" and at
the same time have a "nearly zero learning curve" seem to me mutually
negating.  The closer to zero the learning curve is, the closer to
C/C++, and therefore the less modern, that language will be.

The "dark matter" in this discussion Google's projected OS, Chrome.
Will Go be to Chrome what C was/is to Unix?  The close collaboration
between Rob Pike and Ken Thompson in this project gives reason to
think so.  And if so, how has the design of Chrome shaped the design
of Go?

One more thing: I found Rob Pike's mutterings on generics (towards
the end of his rollout video) rather offputting, because he gave
the impression that some important aspects of the language were
not even considered before major decisions for it were set in stone.
It looks like, if they ever get around to supporting generics, it
will be a late-in-the-day hack.

kynn