In my previous post, I talked about programming language design, and try to discern some heuristics for what features should be added to a programming language, on my way to explaining why Rust should not include inheritance as a feature. I’d like to expand more on that blog post now (so I guess it’s become a series?). Do I think Rust is perfect how it is? (No.) Are there features that I want in Rust that Rust currently does not have?

Programming language design, like API design, and computer UX design (especially for technical tools like build systems and admin systems) is a difficult form of engineering, bridging computer science and cognitive science. Sometimes, it’s more art than science, because building systems that other technical workers will use comes with nearly infinite trade-offs and judgment calls. The effort and quality matter too. Different programming languages have different strengths and weaknesses. Some programming languages are hard to use correctly, like C++.