Generics Unconstrained! - Roger Peppe

Explore the benefits and trade-offs of unconstrained generics in Go, including simpler code, increased power and flexibility, and improved type safety.

Key takeaways

Constraints are not necessary in many cases and can be avoided for simpler, more general code.
Type parameters can be used to write type-safe code where previously there was none.
Unconstrained generic code can be more powerful and useful than constrained code.
Constraints can make code more restrictive and harder to maintain.
Type inference is not available for type parameters in Go, so they must be explicitly declared.
Type parameters can be used to create reusable code that can work with multiple types.
Go’s existing features, such as interfaces and closures, can be used in combination with type parameters to create powerful and flexible code.
The unconstrained approach can lead to simpler, more readable code that is easier to maintain.
Type constraints can be used to limit the types that can be used with a type parameter, but they can also make code more complex and harder to understand.
The Go team values simplicity and readability in code, and type parameters are designed to be simple and easy to use.
The unconstrained approach can be used to create code that is more general and reusable, but it can also lead to code that is less safe and less maintainable.
Type parameters can be used to create code that is more type-safe and less prone to errors, but they can also make code more complex and harder to understand.
The Go team is committed to making the language easier to use and more powerful, and type parameters are a key part of that effort.

Generics Unconstrained! - Roger Peppe

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