Is D a credible alternative to Java and C++?
Is the D language a credible alternative to Java and C++? What will it take to become a credible alternative? Should I bother learning it? Does it deserve evangelizing?
The main reason I ask is that with the new C++ standard (c++0x) almost here, it's clear to me that the language has gone well past the point of no return with respect to anyone ever understanding it. I know that C/C++ will never die but at some point we need to move on. Even COBOL had its day and Java has in many respects undone C++. So what's next? Does D fill the bill?
Answer
What determines the success and popularity of a programming language for real-world software development is only partially related to the quality of the language itself. As a pure language, D arguably has many advantages over C++ and Java. At the very least it is a credible alternative as a pure language, all other things being equal.
However, other things matter for software development - almost more than the language itself: portability (how many platforms does it run on), debugger support, IDE support, standard library quality, dynamic library support, bindings for common APIs, documentation, the developer community, momentum, and commercial support, just to name a few. In every one of those regards, D is hopelessly behind Java, C++, and C#. In fact, I'd argue it's even behind so-called "scripting" languages like Python, Perl, PHP, Ruby, and even JavaScript in these regards.
To be blunt, you simply can't build a large-scale, cross-platform application using D. With an immature standard library, no support in any modern IDEs (there are plugins for both Visual Studio and Xamarin Studio/MonoDevelop), limited dynamic/shared library support, and few bindings to other languages, D is simply not an option today.
If you like what you see of D, by all means, learn it - it shouldn't take long if you already know Java and C++. I don't think evangelism would be helpful - at this point if D is going to succeed, what it really needs is more people quietly using it and addressing its major shortcomings like standard library and IDE support.
Finally, as for C++, while most agree the language is too complex, thousands of companies are successfully using C++ as part of a healthy mix of languages by allowing only a smaller, well-defined subset of the language. It's still hard to beat C++ when both raw performance and small memory usage are required.