This episode is different than what you’re used to. We’ve been clipping highlights of the show for awhile now to share on Twitter and YouTube. A side effect of that effort is a bunch of awesome clips just sitting on Jerod’s hard drive collecting digital dust. So, here’s a beta test of a “best of” style clips show covering the summer months. Let us know if you like it!

Robert and Ian join us to talk about the latest updates on generics in Go. What type of feedback are they looking for as developers get their hands on tools designed to experiment with generics and Go? What was the deal with the featherweight Go paper that also discussed generics? Why can’t we use angle brackets for generics?

Ian Lance Taylor:

It’s been almost a year since we last wrote about the possibility of adding generics to Go. It’s time for an update.

Jump straight to the updated design draft or read Ian’s post for details on the new experimental translation tool and the the kinds of feedback they are seeking. If you’re only interested in a release date for the final implementation:

if everybody is completely happy with the design draft and it does not require any further adjustments, the earliest that generics could be added to Go would be the Go 1.17 release, scheduled for August 2021.

Note: that’s the earliest it will be. This is not a guarantee by any means.

Mat, Johnny, Jon, and special guest Ian Lance Taylor discuss generics in Go. What are generics and why are they useful? Why aren’t interfaces enough? How will the standard library change if generics are added to Go? How has the community contributed to generics? If generics are added, how will this negatively affect the language?