> Generics are convenient but they come at a cost in complexity in the type system and run-time.
replyBy run-time they mean compile-time? There shouldn't be a run-time penalty right?
Also, is there some measure of the additional compilation cost now that generics has been added?
The “runtime” as in the compiler runtime which provides the scheduler, garbage collector, etc.
replyThe runtime also includes reflection, so preserving compatibility of the type system while adding generics was definitely a challenge, so adding generics to Go was definitely a great achievement.
replyConsidering that Ian was already working on them before 1.0, and never stopped until a solution was found, we know for certain they were planned by at least one person on the Go team. If you are struggling to say that Go people are not a single monolith then sure. Nobody has ever thought people are a single monolith.
replyHowever, the original announcement makes the intent of the project clear: "Not yet", not "never". They were always planned to be accepted into Go. But not before an acceptable solution was found.
Do we know if Go team is working in 2.0 release?
replyWe know they aren't.
replyThey have successfully been able to add major features such as generics without breaking 1.0 compatibility, and the trend is to continue than way. Well there is no major language feature in sight in fact.
Also major figures of the Go team (Russ, Ian, Rob, Ken) are gone.