A new programming language called ANIL (A Nice Intermediate Language) has sparked discussions in the developer community, with reactions ranging from naming concerns to deeper debates about its design philosophy and implementation choices.
Controversial Naming
The language's name has become an unexpected focal point of discussion, with many developers pointing out potential awkward interpretations. While some community members noted that Anil is a legitimate given name in certain cultures, others suggested the acronym might benefit from reconsideration for international audiences.
Design Philosophy and Implementation
ANIL positions itself as a hybrid language that combines elements from both Python and C++, featuring static typing and the ability to be embedded within C source files. However, this approach has drawn mixed reactions from the developer community, particularly regarding its implementation of certain language features.
I have to be harsh to this. It is a surreal combination of both python style white space sensitivity and C style curly braces with random features taken from both.
Key Features:
- Classes with template support
- Function overloading
- Compile-time reflection
- Annotations
- Standard library integration
- Python-style dunder methods
- C code generation capability
Requirements:
- C compiler
- Python
- clang-format (recommended)
Learning Tool vs Production Language
The project's context as a learning exercise in compiler development has become an important part of the discussion. The creator explicitly stated three main objectives: learning compiler development, building a self-compiling compiler, and implementing interesting features. This transparency has helped frame the project appropriately as an educational endeavor rather than a production-ready language.
Feature Set and Standard Library
ANIL implements several notable features including classes, templates, function overloading, macros, compile-time reflection, and annotations. The language also adopts Python-style dunder methods, though this choice has sparked debate about the merits of importing such conventions into a new language ecosystem.
The project represents an interesting case study in language design choices and the challenges of creating new programming languages, while also highlighting the importance of community feedback in the evolution of technical projects.
Source Citations: A Nice Intermediate Language (ANIL)