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Hello everyone I am to making a programming language and I need your help

4 points by saptak123 ↗ HN
Hello everyone I am to making a programming language and I need your help to complete it. I have named it swallow. Repo- https://github.com/Swallow-lang/swallow Please contribute

17 comments

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gus_massa
You need to add more code examples. Perhaps I'm reading too much from the 2 line example, but it looks quite pythonic? Is that correct? What are the main differences with Python?

Why is it implemented in V?

I think it's too early to find contributors. Try to find users. Some users became power users. Some power users became contributors.

saptak123
Yes it is python like because I like it's syntax. The primary difference is that it is going compiled and many times faster. It is implemented in v because it is very easy and as fast as c. Currently I am working on the parser and I need help so I posted here
eatonphil
> I need help so I posted here

You haven't mentioned what you need help with. What do you need help with?

saptak123
I mean I need more people to contribute to it
approxim8ion
You need to have a roadmap or a list of issues that need user contribution.

Like, what enhancements do you need or what is left to be implemented in your language to make it fully functional/turing complete/free of memory leaks etc etc.

stevekemp
The kind of people that enjoy tinkering with new languages are not so common - and usually they enjoy writing their own language instead of looking at existing ones.

Unless you have a lot of users, with something really novel/special it is unlikely you'll get many people helping.

Your repository mentions "similar to C", but I see python-like indentation. Which makes me wonder what you're actually aiming for?

Once you have the core of the language the usual stumbling block is getting libraries available for HTTP fetching, database access, etc, etc. Do you have an idea of the kind of things that your language will be used for?

The more you document, and writeout there more likely it is you'll find people interested in what you're doing, but without that it'll almost certainly just be "your" project. (And there's no shame in that, or harm in it either.)

saptak123
it's speed is similar to c but syntax is similar to python
random_coder
You say it's a superset of C that compiles to C. But why does your example with main() look like Python? It's certainly not valid C code.
saptak123
it's speed is similar to c but syntax is similar to python.
saptak123
For calling c function use the following Ccode c_function() Ccode
knikes
The key features state that the language is "fast" and "occupies less memory". Maybe provide some benchmarks/comparisons? Also, more examples would be helpful.

If I look at the landing page from the perspective of someone who either wants to use the language or contribute to it, there just isn't enough compelling information yet. More examples demonstrating that the syntax could be a nice alternative to python or c would help catch someone's eye.

saptak123
The language is not complete. those features are our goal
gus_massa
It's better to describe them as goals instead of features.

Somewhat related: Are you planning to support monkey patching? In some cases it's a nice feature. In some cases it's a nightmare. Anyway, IIRC it's very difficult to write a compiler that produces fast code and also support monkey patching.

logicalmonster
Without commenting on the merits of your programming language, I'd like to give a bit of constructive advice on your presentation, which does matter a bit.

* Among other issues there are some spelling mistakes in your ReadMe. Proper nouns like Python, Swallow, and C should be capitalized. Sentences should end with a period.

* The example shouldn't be ultra-complex, but a small 5-10 line program to add an item to an array and print it out or something might display more about your language than a HelloWorld.

* A little better description of this could be useful for visitors. What kind of paradigm are you going for: is this object-oriented or functional? I can't tell from your ReadMe.

* I'd like to figure out why somebody would use this rather than something like say D or Rust or some other more established systems language that's a bit easier than some alternatives.

That said, props to you for making this and I wish you super well in this learning journey.