Jeff Nowakowski wrote:
On 10/18/2010 04:59 AM, Jonathan M Davis wrote:
Java was big long before it was open-sourced, and C# is big in spite
of the fact
that its main compiler isn't open source and the one that is (Mono) is
so far
behind the main one that many people totally discount it.
Java and C# were pushed by big companies. Pretty much any other popular
language these days is open source.
I really don't understand the complaints about the lack of an open source
compiler for D, but then again, I've always been pro-open source and
anti-free
software (I think that the FSF is nuts, personally), so that may be why.
I really don't understand why you say you don't understand. You list the
reasons why open source is good. Not everybody has the luxury of
plopping down a $1000 for a compiler. People don't want vendor lock-in.
Open source is a popular movement, and you say you're pro-open source,
and you don't understand why D gets knocked for not being so?
The problem is that D is getting attacked _as if it were closed source_,
which is completely untrue! The source code for ALL D compilers is
freely available at no charge. closed source != !open.
There are many, very strong disadvantages of closed source vs Open
Source, but most don't apply to D.
I see only two disadvantages with the DMD backend vs Open Source:
(1) we carry the risk that something happens to Walter;
(2) DMD cannot be included in Linux distributions.
But since the front-end is GPLed, these apply only to the backend.
It really seems to be a philosophical objection rather than a practical
one. Or else based on a misunderstanding.
