[leobakerhytch]

To add to that list: abstract syntax trees.

It would take a pretty monumental effort to build, but I think a huge step forward could be made with a VCS that has knowledge of code structure, and the relationships between source files.

Large scale refactoring is such a fragile affair with git. Conceptually though, it should be possible to cleanly and concisely represent such operations as renaming functions, reordering arguments, widening type parameters, etc.

Stability of the programming language in question is of course highly desirable, if you were to build such a system. The pace of change of Go would be much more conducive to success than that of JavaScript (or TypeScript).

[npsimons]

> To add to that list: abstract syntax trees.

Are you joking? Because you can represent these as Lisp sexps in plain text.