On Thu, 30 May 2013 12:56:46 -0400, Steven Schveighoffer
<schvei...@yahoo.com> wrote:
On Thu, 30 May 2013 12:46:39 -0400, Maxim Fomin <ma...@maxim-fomin.ru>
wrote:
Please provide reasons why it is wrong (but without explanation how
druntime allocates memory which is irrelevant).
It's wrong in that D's spec re-defines dynamic arrays from the
traditional definition (I think for the sake of simplicity, but I didn't
write the definition, so I'm not sure). D's slices aren't dynamic
arrays, no matter how many specs say so.
Oh, you were looking for an actual *functional* differences between slices
and dynamic arrays.
The major concept difference is ownership. Two references to the same
array do not mysteriously split when length is extended on one of those
references. All references to the same array always refer to the same
array, even when it has to reallocate to extend length. Slices differ
from this behavior, and I can say with great confidence that this is the
most confusing aspect of D slices.
In addition, shrinking a dynamic array invalidates any data that has now
been removed. D slices do not do this either. Because slices simply
point at data, they don't own it.
-Steve
