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Rob describes go as a language for writing server applications, and I think that is a much more applicable term than systems programming.

bb88 3y ago
Drew DeVault called it an "internet" language back in 2021. And to that I more or less agree. Read footnote 1 for context. https://drewdevault.com/2021/04/02/Go-is-a-great-language.html https://drewdevault.com/2021/04/02/Go-is-a-great-language.ht...
- cryptos 3y ago
  But then again the internet is everywhere now: desktop, servers, watches, washing machines, industrial systems, sensors ... So "internet language" is a somewhat pointless term.
  - iainmerrick 3y ago
    That term isn’t meant to include mobile apps, desktop apps, web apps (even though those all use the internet, of course). Nobody is using Go for any of those, as far as I know. So I think it is a useful term, and captures the things Go is good at surprisingly well.
    - bb88 3y ago
      I actually kinda thought that Google should have made Go the default language for android. It could have been a compelling argument to the rest of the world as a reason to use it as a systems language. It's feels like they didn't want to dog food it outside of their servers, though.
      - iainmerrick 3y ago
        Android was already using Java and Dalvik (their JVM variant) at that point, so switching to Go would have been a massive undertaking.
    - thegeekpirate 3y ago
      > Nobody is using Go for any of those, as far as I know. Quite a few of us are, fwiw. I personally have done all three, Tailscale uses Gio UI for their mobile apps, and a fair amount of games have used https://ebitengine.org https://ebitengine.org to release for Xbox/Nintendo Switch/Mobile/Webassembly/Cross-platform PC.
      - iainmerrick 3y ago
        I hadn't heard of either of those projects -- both look really cool. Thanks for the pointers!
sanderjd 3y ago
Yep, I'd say one of the things they could have done better is in making this distinction more clear to people. I spent multiple years being confused about what made go a "systems" language, when it didn't seem very good for that at all. When all the devops / infrastructure tooling started being written in it, its niche suddenly became more clear to me.

bb88 3y ago

Drew DeVault called it an "internet" language back in 2021. And to that I more or less agree. Read footnote 1 for context. https://drewdevault.com/2021/04/02/Go-is-a-great-language.html https://drewdevault.com/2021/04/02/Go-is-a-great-language.ht...

cryptos 3y ago
But then again the internet is everywhere now: desktop, servers, watches, washing machines, industrial systems, sensors ... So "internet language" is a somewhat pointless term.
- iainmerrick 3y ago
  That term isn’t meant to include mobile apps, desktop apps, web apps (even though those all use the internet, of course). Nobody is using Go for any of those, as far as I know. So I think it is a useful term, and captures the things Go is good at surprisingly well.
  - bb88 3y ago
    I actually kinda thought that Google should have made Go the default language for android. It could have been a compelling argument to the rest of the world as a reason to use it as a systems language. It's feels like they didn't want to dog food it outside of their servers, though.
    - iainmerrick 3y ago
      Android was already using Java and Dalvik (their JVM variant) at that point, so switching to Go would have been a massive undertaking.
  - thegeekpirate 3y ago
    > Nobody is using Go for any of those, as far as I know. Quite a few of us are, fwiw. I personally have done all three, Tailscale uses Gio UI for their mobile apps, and a fair amount of games have used https://ebitengine.org https://ebitengine.org to release for Xbox/Nintendo Switch/Mobile/Webassembly/Cross-platform PC.
    - iainmerrick 3y ago
      I hadn't heard of either of those projects -- both look really cool. Thanks for the pointers!

sanderjd 3y ago

Yep, I'd say one of the things they could have done better is in making this distinction more clear to people. I spent multiple years being confused about what made go a "systems" language, when it didn't seem very good for that at all. When all the devops / infrastructure tooling started being written in it, its niche suddenly became more clear to me.