Yes, GC is a big issue... or was back when Go was just getting started. GC support in LLVM should be MUCH better now. Ie. it has everything you need to hook up a GC in it, but there isn't a built-in GC in it.
And the fact that the first people working on Go have a good knowledge of the Plan9 toolchain probably gave them a head start. But that benefit has probably eroded long ago.
And I completely disagree with the Go team's emphasis on compile times. Fast result programs are far more important than fast compile times. Fast compile times are nice to have, but not much more than that. But this is just my opinion, it's as good as anyone else's.
And the fact that the first people working on Go have a good knowledge of the Plan9 toolchain probably gave them a head start. But that benefit has probably eroded long ago.
And I completely disagree with the Go team's emphasis on compile times. Fast result programs are far more important than fast compile times. Fast compile times are nice to have, but not much more than that. But this is just my opinion, it's as good as anyone else's.