On: Differentiable Programming Manifesto

[targonca]

So now everyone's pet project gets a language extension in Swift? Apple extended the language with @_functionBuilder for SwiftUI. Now Google wants to extend it with this differentiable stuff for TensorFlow.

Why won't they implement proper metaprogramming support instead of proliferating the core language?

[classified → targonca]

> Why won't they implement proper metaprogramming support instead of proliferating the core language?

Proper metaprogramming support is hard. Polluting the language with special case hocus pocus is relatively easy.

[marmaduke → classified]

> Polluting the language with special case hocus pocus is relatively easy

or if it's well done is it still hocus pocus pollution?

[classified → marmaduke]

Then it's pollution with compiler magic. But only if it's really well done.