this post was submitted on 04 Aug 2023
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Programming
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Sometimes it's easier to try a new idea in a new language (e.g. the borrow checker in Rust) rather than trying to shoehorn it into an existing language.
Rust's borrow checker is a bad example. There are already a few projects that target C++ and support both runtime and compile-time checks, not to mention static code analysis tools that can be added to any project.
Uh, they're different, though. There is no C++ tool (AFAIK) providing an exhaustive check of ALL the data lifetimes. I even think it's impossible, because their semantics are really different. Rust is move by default, C++ copy by default; Rust has no inheritance with its constructors, etc.
Your reply reads like an attempt at moving the goal post.
The initial point was "Sometimes it’s easier to try a new idea in a new language (e.g. the borrow checker in Rust) rather than trying to shoehorn it into an existing language", to which I pointed the fact that yes it's indeed possible to "try a new idea" like borrow checking, and it only takes adding a tool that runs in a post-build/unit test step. It's simpler, easier, and does not force anyone to rewrite projects from scratch.
Claiming "oh but it might not work as well" is not an answer or a refuttal.