37 ms·

Imp: A full-stack relational language built around incremental maintenance

50 points by luu 5y ago

remexre 5y ago
Huh, I've never seen a language quite like this before... The apply operator is indeed a bit weird, but seems neat! The macro-dsl in https://scattered-thoughts.net/writing/imp-simple-interpreter/#finite-values https://scattered-thoughts.net/writing/imp-simple-interprete... is cool too, haven't tried doing something like that in the language-processing tools I've made in Rust in the past, but might now that I see that it doesn't end up (immediately) sucking. EDIT: Also very nice to see a language intro with both a bunch of examples, including a comparison to a better-known language with a similar model, and denotational semantics.
- mamcx 5y ago
  Yeah, is very good the write-ups. I remember this from https://scattered-thoughts.net/writing/a-practical-relational-query-compiler-in-500-lines/ https://scattered-thoughts.net/writing/a-practical-relationa.... Working with the relational model for my lang (https://tablam.org https://tablam.org) I also found very challenging how surface iterators/generators (like here: "a maybe-infinite type") is the most significant challenge. Is interesting how on this the solving look clean! It take me a long time to figure out how do it on rust (still using rust semantics) so see it doing in a more "pure" version is very nice!.
- ampdepolymerase 5y ago
  He is reinventing Chris Granger's Eve language all over again. I have seen many, many attempts at "functional-reactive programming languages with an Excel-style DB bolted on top" and not a single one has succeeded so far. The biggest reason for failure is that trying to do both tend to result in a half baked platform. The DB /spreadsheet lacks features and the programming language doesn't offer enough functionality/libraries to make apps. OP needs to make a killer application/compelling use case.
  - jammycrisp 5y ago
    The author used to work on Eve.
golergka 5y ago
May be I'm not an expert at programming languages, but it's the first time where I've seen sets used as boolean values (not just as a truthy value, but as THE true and false), and it reminded me of how set theory equivalence to boolean logic in math.
garmaine 5y ago
This would be a better link: https://scattered-thoughts.net/writing/imp-intro/ https://scattered-thoughts.net/writing/imp-intro/
snicker7 5y ago
This is tangential, but the author is an incredible technical writer: https://scattered-thoughts.net/ https://scattered-thoughts.net/
phoenixdblack 5y ago
Imp ist der Beste.
iovrthoughtthis 5y ago
aaaand i love it. this is so expressive.

50 points by luu 5y ago

Huh, I've never seen a language quite like this before... The apply operator is indeed a bit weird, but seems neat! The macro-dsl in https://scattered-thoughts.net/writing/imp-simple-interpreter/#finite-values https://scattered-thoughts.net/writing/imp-simple-interprete... is cool too, haven't tried doing something like that in the language-processing tools I've made in Rust in the past, but might now that I see that it doesn't end up (immediately) sucking. EDIT: Also very nice to see a language intro with both a bunch of examples, including a comparison to a better-known language with a similar model, and denotational semantics.

mamcx 5y ago
Yeah, is very good the write-ups. I remember this from https://scattered-thoughts.net/writing/a-practical-relational-query-compiler-in-500-lines/ https://scattered-thoughts.net/writing/a-practical-relationa.... Working with the relational model for my lang (https://tablam.org https://tablam.org) I also found very challenging how surface iterators/generators (like here: "a maybe-infinite type") is the most significant challenge. Is interesting how on this the solving look clean! It take me a long time to figure out how do it on rust (still using rust semantics) so see it doing in a more "pure" version is very nice!.
ampdepolymerase 5y ago
He is reinventing Chris Granger's Eve language all over again. I have seen many, many attempts at "functional-reactive programming languages with an Excel-style DB bolted on top" and not a single one has succeeded so far. The biggest reason for failure is that trying to do both tend to result in a half baked platform. The DB /spreadsheet lacks features and the programming language doesn't offer enough functionality/libraries to make apps. OP needs to make a killer application/compelling use case.
- jammycrisp 5y ago
  The author used to work on Eve.

golergka 5y ago

May be I'm not an expert at programming languages, but it's the first time where I've seen sets used as boolean values (not just as a truthy value, but as THE true and false), and it reminded me of how set theory equivalence to boolean logic in math.

garmaine 5y ago

This would be a better link: https://scattered-thoughts.net/writing/imp-intro/ https://scattered-thoughts.net/writing/imp-intro/

snicker7 5y ago

This is tangential, but the author is an incredible technical writer: https://scattered-thoughts.net/ https://scattered-thoughts.net/

phoenixdblack 5y ago

Imp ist der Beste.

iovrthoughtthis 5y ago

aaaand i love it. this is so expressive.