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Zig is hard but worth it

(ratfactor.com)
401 points signa11 | 2 comments | | HN request time: 0.458s | source
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latch ◴[] No.36150665[source]
I've now written a lot of zig code (http.zig, websocket.zig, log.zig, zuckdb.zig, etc.) I think Zig falls into an "easy to learn, average/hard to master" category.

Some insiders underestimate the effort required for newcomers to build non-trivial things. I think this is because some of that complexity has to do with things like poor documentation, inconsistent stdlib, incompatible releases, slow release cycle, lack of package manager, etc. For an insider living and breathing Zig, not only aren't these huge challenges, they aren't really "Zig" - they are just transient growing pains. For someone getting started though, the current state of Zig is Zig.

I wish Zig had a polished package manager (there's one in the current development branch, but you don't as much use it as fight it). They could then move some of the less polished code into official experimental packages, helping to set expectations and maybe focus the development efforts.

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1. VyseofArcadia ◴[] No.36153037[source]
I used Zig for a weekend project and loved it, but I am resolved to not use it for anything else until it hits 1.0. I don't have time to write and re-write and re-re-write my code as the language and stlib stabilize.
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2. Tozen ◴[] No.36158319[source]
If that's the thinking, looks like it will be a long wait. Appears to be another 2 to 3 years before 1.0 hits. And it publicly came out in 2016, so add all those years up.