alt Hacker News> as name of the type, I think I like void more than ()
It's the wrong name though. In type theory, (), the type with one member, is traditionally called "Unit", while "Void" is the uninhabited type. Void is the return type of e.g. abort.
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If I understood `abort` semantics correctly, it has a type of `never` or Rust's `!`. Which has a meaning "unobtainable value because control flow went somwhere else". `void` is closer to `unit` or `()` because it's the type with no allowed values.
Cool trick: some languages (e.g. TypeScript) allow `void` generics making parameters of that type optional.
The void type has considerable heritage, dating back all the way to ALGOL 68, and is traditionally defined as having one member:
> The mode VOID has a single value denoted by EMPTY.
It fulfills the same role as C and C++'s void type. I don't think most systems programmers care about type theorist bikeshedding about purity with formal theory.
A ton of people coming to Zig are going to be coming from C and C++. void is fine.