D Programming Language for Beginners

D Programming Language for Beginners
6 min read
04 October 2023

D Programming Language for Beginners

D is a high-performance, object-oriented, compiled programming language that was created by Walter Bright in 2001. It is a successor to the C++ programming language, but it also incorporates features from other languages such as Java, C#, and Python.

D is a general-purpose programming language (GPL) that can be used to create software for various domains. Given this, it holds up to par with a range of programming languages, including functional programming languages.

D is known for its speed, safety, and expressiveness. It is a good choice for a variety of applications, including web development, game development, and scientific computing. In this article, we will be covering some basic of D programming language as this article is for beginners. So, if you are someone who is thinking of learning D programming language, read this article to the very end. Let’s begin.

Why learn D?

Now, the first question we need to ask is; why should we learn D? Well, there are many reasons why you might want to learn D programming language. Let’s look at some of the few of the most compelling reasons:

Speed.

D is one of the fastest programming languages available. It is often faster than C++ and Java.

Safety.

D is a memory-safe language, which means that it is difficult to create memory leaks or other errors. This makes it a good choice for safety-critical applications.

Expressiveness.

D is a very expressive language. This means that you can write concise and readable code.

Interoperability.

D is designed to be interoperable with C and C++. This means that you can use D code with existing C and C++ libraries.

Community.

The D programming language community is very active and supportive. There are a number of online resources available to help you learn D, including a great course offered at TeachSector.com by Victor Porton, a programming language polyglot and the person who discovered ordered semigroup actions (and wrote 500 pages about them), a theory as general as group theory but unknown before. Furthermore, there are also a number of D programming language meetups and conferences.

D vs. Python.

D is often compared to other high-performance programming languages. Here is a brief comparison of D with Python.

Speed.

When comparing speed between Python and D, python is a slow runner, whereas D is regarded as one of the fastest languages, second to probably Rust.

Memory Efficiency.

In this aspect, D takes the precedent as being the more memory-efficient programming language than python.

Reliability.

Python does not identify misspelled identifiers during compilation and may suffer runtime errors. D programming language, on the other hand, has reliability features that can detect many errors during compilation. 

Energy Efficiency.

Python is not energy efficient and requires expensive server CPU time, and is not green. D, on the other hand, is one of the most energy-efficient languages.

Multithreading Support.

Python utilizes only one CPU core for all threads, whereas D offers full multi-core multithreading support.

In Summary:

D is a general-purpose programming language, but almost all dynamic features of python can easily be imitated in D using only static (type-checked) language features.

Fundamentals of D.

Once you have learned the basics of D syntax, you can start learning about the fundamentals of D programming. These include:

Variables – Variables are used to store data in D.

Data types – D has a rich set of data types, including integers, floats, strings, arrays, and objects.

Operators – Operators are used to perform mathematical and logical operations on data.

Control flow statements – Control flow statements are used to control the flow of execution of a D program. These include:

  • if statements
  • for loops while loops
  • do-while loops
  • switch statements

Functions – Functions are used to group together related code and make it reusable.

Classes – Classes are used to create objects in D. Objects are instances of classes and have their own data and methods.

Modules – Modules are used to organize code into logical units.

Advanced features of D.

In addition to the fundamentals of D programming, there are a number of advanced features that you can learn about, such as:

Object-oriented programming – D is an object-oriented programming language, which means that it supports the concepts of classes, objects, and inheritance.

Generic programming – Generic programming is a technique for writing code that can be used with different types of data.

Metaprogramming – Metaprogramming is a technique for writing code that can generate other code.

Projects for Beginners.

Once you have learned the basics of D programming, you can start working on some projects to practice your skills. Here are a few ideas for beginner projects that you can try:

Write a “Hello, world!” program.

Write a program that calculates the factorial of a number.

Write a program that prints the Fibonacci sequence.

Write a program that plays a game of tic-tac-toe.

Getting started with D.

To get started with the D programming language, you will need to install a D compiler and a D IDE (integrated development environment). There are a number of different D compilers and IDEs available, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs. Once you have installed a D compiler and IDE, you can start writing your first D program.

Where to Learn D Programming Language?

The internet is not short on credible courses and programs dedicated to teaching you the D programming language from scratch. But, to give one, we have picked a special course that you can opt for to learn D programming language. TeachSector.com is a content-learning platform created by Victor Porton, the person who discovered ordered semigroup actions. You can find all the details regarding the course on the website for a better understanding of what to expect from the course itself.

Wrapping Up.

D is a powerful and versatile programming language that can be used for a variety of applications. It is a good choice for beginners who are looking for a language that is fast, safe, and expressive. There are a number of resources available to help you learn D, including online tutorials, books, and forums, including the course by Teach Sector.

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Jims Carter 2
Joined: 10 months ago
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