Hello everyone,
I've been following with interest the three preliminary proposals made
so far: ANTLR grammar by Luca Boasso, containers by Ishan Thilina,
Thrift bindings by David Nadlinger aka klickverbot, and database API by
Christian Manning.
There are many issues to consider when looking over such a project
proposal, and there's no quick and easy formula. The considerations include:
- Project impact: what would be the impact of the project? What
consequences for D's adoption can be expected following the project?
- Project's chances of succeeding: what is the assessment that the
project can be completed within the timeframe?
- Student match: what is the match between the student's initial skill
set and the project?
- Mentor match: is there a strong mentor for the project?
Here are a few considerations regarding the three pre-submission
proposals discussed herein:
1. ANTLR grammar for D
I think this is a feasible project. My main concern remains the
projected impact. If the project is meant to build an ANTLR parser on
the off chance that someone will later use it for Eclipse integration or
otherwise, then there are serious concerns about the impact.
If, on the other hand, the project is focused on Eclipse integration
(perhaps starting from an existing similar project) and uses an
ANTLR-based parser as a mechanism to achieve that goal, then the impact
would be significant. However, there is the concern that the scope of
the project might be too large to be finished in time. So I recommend
attention in defining the definition and scope of the project when
writing the proposal.
The fact that we already have a good, supporting mentor in Bruno for an
Eclipse project should help a lot.
2. Containers
I'd need to hear a lot more about this proposal before making an
impression of it. From the little I gathered so far, I think this would
be a difficult project to carry through. At this point D's containers
need less solid coding but more design. Such design artifacts are most
likely to come from an experienced member of the community. Starting
from scratch in understanding the issues involved up to the level of
making a solid contribution is possible, but difficult.
3. Thrift bindings
This is by far the best proposal we have so far. It comes from an
established member of the community who has a good understanding of D,
and is likely to boost adoption of D at companies that use
service-oriented architectures, and Facebook in particular. If the
project will be of adequate quality, I should be able to contribute it
to the Thrift mainline. The impact could be decisive.
4. Database API
This is a high impact item. I'd need to collect more information about
the specifics of the application before creating an opinion about its
chances of success. I see Piotr and others have some related ideas; I
suggest them to apply appropriately (either as mentors or students). A
solid mentor(s)/student(s) combo is a key ingredient of a successful
project.
Thanks,
Andrei
