[Info-vax] The Kotlin language, something for VMS as well?

[Bill Gunshannon]

On 7/12/2017 8:43 AM, Dirk Munk wrote:
> Bill Gunshannon wrote:
>> On 7/11/2017 7:24 PM, Arne Vajhøj wrote:
>>> On 7/11/2017 10:21 AM, Dirk Munk wrote:
>>>> I read an interesting story about Kotlin, a kind of next generation 
>>>> Java.
>>>>
>>>> It has many similarities with Java, but also some big improvements.
>>>>
>>>> At the moment you can compile a source to a .jar file, and run it 
>>>> with a Java Virtual Machine, or compile it to Javascript.
>>>>
>>>> However, in future (already in test phase), it will be possible to 
>>>> compile Kotlin programs with a LLVM compiler, and produce executables.
>>>
>>> Kotlin is getting some traction in the Java community.
>>>
>>> Many think that Scala even though promising is too complex
>>> of a language and that Kotlin may be a better choice.
>>>
>>> But I would expect most of its usage to be in the JVM world.
>>>
>>> Browser (JS transpiling) and iOS (LLVM) is side shows.
>>>
>>> But definitely an interesting language.
>>>
>>
>> And after just a short glance at the reference manual it has me
>> rolling on the floor.
>>
>> Potential for strange and hard to locate errors - see colon.
>> Functions that return no value - I thought void was added to C for a 
>> reason?
>>
>> Haven't yet come to the part that explains just why we needed another
>> language.
>>
>> bill
>>
>>
> 
> Well, there are about 10,000 computer languages around. I suppose 99,9% 
> will be script languages. Why we need them? I don't know, a few dozen 
> should be enough I think.

Well, while I don't agree that there are that many, I do agree with
the sentiment.  I know several dozen myself but haven't used more
than a half dozen in years.

bill