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Things Zig comptime won't do

(matklad.github.io)
458 points JadedBlueEyes | 3 comments | 20 Apr 25 15:57 UTC | HN request time: 0.001s | source
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no_wizard ◴[20 Apr 25 16:53 UTC] No.43744932[source]▶
I like the Zig language and tooling. I do wish there was a safety mode that give the same guarantees as Rust, but it’s a huge step above C/C++. I am also extremely impressed with the Zig compiler.

Perhaps the safety is the tradeoff with the comparative ease of using the language compared to Rust, but I’d love the best of both worlds if it were possible

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hermanradtke ◴[20 Apr 25 16:59 UTC] No.43744960[source]▶
I wish for “strict” mode as well. My current thinking:

TypeScript is to JavaScript

as

Zig is to C

I am a huge TS fan.

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rc00 ◴[20 Apr 25 17:42 UTC] No.43745224[source]▶
Is Zig aiming to extend C or extinguish it? The embrace story is well-established at this point but the remainder is often unclear in the messaging from the community.
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dooglius ◴[20 Apr 25 18:17 UTC] No.43745439[source]▶
Zig is open source, so the analogy to Microsoft's EEE [0] seems misplaced.

[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Embrace,_extend,_and_extingu...

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rc00 ◴[20 Apr 25 18:26 UTC] No.43745514[source]▶
Open source or not isn't the point. The point is the mission and the ecosystem. Some of the Zig proponents laud the C compatibility. Others are seeking out the "pure Zig" ecosystem. Curious onlookers want to know if the Zig ecosystem and community will be as hostile to the decades of C libraries as the Rust zealots have been.

To be fair, I don't believe there is a centralized and stated mission with Zig but it does feel like the story has moved beyond the "Incrementally improve your C/C++/Zig codebase" moniker.

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1. Zambyte ◴[20 Apr 25 18:43 UTC] No.43745641[source]▶
> Curious onlookers want to know if the Zig ecosystem and community will be as hostile to the decades of C libraries as the Rust zealots have been.

Definitely not the case in Zig. From my experience, the relationship with C libraries amounts to "if it works, use it".

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2. rc00 ◴[20 Apr 25 19:10 UTC] No.43745821[source]▶
Are you referring to static linking? Dynamic linking? Importing/inclusion? How does this translate (no pun intended) when the LLVM backend work is completed? Does this extend to reproducible builds? Hermetic builds?

And the relationship with C libraries certainly feels like a placeholder, akin to before the compiler was self-hosted. While I have seen some novel projects in Zig, there are certainly more than a few "pure Zig" rewrites of C libraries. Ultimately, this is free will. I just wonder if the Zig community is teeing up for a repeat of Rust's actix-web drama but rather than being because of the use of unsafe, it would be due to the use of C libraries instead of the all-Zig counterparts (assuming some level of maturity with the latter). While Zig's community appears healthier and more pragmatic, hype and ego have a way of ruining everything.

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3. Zambyte ◴[20 Apr 25 19:29 UTC] No.43745935[source]▶
> static linking?

Yes

> Dynamic linking?

Yes

> Importing/inclusion?

Yes

> How does this translate (no pun intended) when the LLVM backend work is completed?

I'm not sure what you mean. It sounds like you think they're working on being able to use LLVM as a backend, but that has already been supported, and now they're working on not depending on LLVM as a requirement.

> Does this extend to reproducible builds?

My hunch would be yes, but I'm not certain.

> Hermetic builds?

I have never heard of this, but I would guess the same as reproducible.

> While I have seen some novel projects in Zig, there are certainly more than a few "pure Zig" rewrites of C libraries.

It's a nice exercise, especially considering how close C and Zig are semantically. It's helpful for learning to see how C things are done in Zig, and rewriting things lets you isolate that experience without also being troubled with creating something novel.

For more than a few not rewrites, check out https://github.com/allyourcodebase, which is a group that repackages existing C libraries with the Zig package manager / build system.