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The mod's post makes it pretty clear the primary reason for the removal is that the tweet (and reddit post title) implies the features are coming to C++, while

The mod's post makes it pretty clear the primary reason for the removal is that the tweet (and reddit post title) implies the features are coming to C++, while in reality they're an extension actually coming to OP's compiler. That said, I think there's some nuance between GCC's extensions and Circle's extensions. GCC extensions are like "return the minimum of two numbers" (https://web.mit.edu/rhel-doc/3/rhel-gcc-en-3/c---extensions.html https://web.mit.edu/rhel-doc/3/rhel-gcc-en-3/c---extensions....), while Circle's extensions are more like "reflection in C++" (https://github.com/seanbaxter/circle/blob/master/reflection/README.md#circle-reflection-and-typed-enums https://github.com/seanbaxter/circle/blob/master/reflection/...). GCC works with the existing C++ community and standards committees, while Circle's extensions are just the author implementing whatever random features they want. We can disagree about exactly where the line is when Circle diverges enough from C++ it deserves to be called a separate language rather than just a compiler extension. And maybe you think it hasn't crossed that line yet while I do, but I don't think it's fair to claim it 100% cannot be a different language just because GCC has extensions.

bheadmaster 4y ago
> The mod's post makes it pretty clear the primary reason for the removal is that the tweet (and reddit post title) implies the features are coming to C++, while in reality they're an extension actually coming to OP's compiler. The mod used the term "off-topic" - even your explanation states that the removal has nothing to do with the tweet and reddit post title being off-topic, but rather about being misleading. I assume the implications of "off-topic" (implications being that everything related to Circle is off-topic and therefore will be deleted) were what caused the author's reaction. > GCC works with the existing C++ community and standards committees Note that it wasn't always the case. Even with the C compiler, GNU extensions used to be non-standard, until GCC got popular enough for the committee to start caring. Many GNU extensions to C became standard C - but back in the day, they weren't C. Taxonomy of languages is an inherently unclear area with many shades of gray, both with natural and programming languages. > I don't think it's fair to claim it 100% cannot be a different language just because GCC has extensions True, Circle provides significantly more extensions to C++ than GCC. I guess my point is that, in context of the /r/cpp, it's not that off-topic, the same way as discussing Groovy on a Java subreddit would probably not be off-topic - even though Groovy defines a huge number of extensions to the Java language, it's still a derivative of Java and has a lot to do with Java. I simply disagree with that level of puritanism on subreddits.

bheadmaster 4y ago

> The mod's post makes it pretty clear the primary reason for the removal is that the tweet (and reddit post title) implies the features are coming to C++, while in reality they're an extension actually coming to OP's compiler. The mod used the term "off-topic" - even your explanation states that the removal has nothing to do with the tweet and reddit post title being off-topic, but rather about being misleading. I assume the implications of "off-topic" (implications being that everything related to Circle is off-topic and therefore will be deleted) were what caused the author's reaction. > GCC works with the existing C++ community and standards committees Note that it wasn't always the case. Even with the C compiler, GNU extensions used to be non-standard, until GCC got popular enough for the committee to start caring. Many GNU extensions to C became standard C - but back in the day, they weren't C. Taxonomy of languages is an inherently unclear area with many shades of gray, both with natural and programming languages. > I don't think it's fair to claim it 100% cannot be a different language just because GCC has extensions True, Circle provides significantly more extensions to C++ than GCC. I guess my point is that, in context of the /r/cpp, it's not that off-topic, the same way as discussing Groovy on a Java subreddit would probably not be off-topic - even though Groovy defines a huge number of extensions to the Java language, it's still a derivative of Java and has a lot to do with Java. I simply disagree with that level of puritanism on subreddits.