Language Take Aways

Language Take Aways

Describe features from languages examined that would be important for a new SIMD/SIMT/general purpose language.

In general

• Support for swizzling and small vector types
  • See ISPC, Zig and Odin
• Support for SIMD/SIMT like abstraction
  • See ISPC
• Define a heterogenous programming model
• Ownership
  • Linear types Austral, and splitting Linear and Free types
  • Linear like Hylo
  • Affine types Rust - having dtors is very convenient especially with containers
  • Worth digging into V system a little more
• Make pointers/references the exception not the rule Hylo
  • Copy on write/moving
• Value simplicity Odin, Zig, Austral
• Have a solid error model that isn't exceptions
  • It's probably going to have something like Option and Result zig, V
• Loop breaks Zig, Odin, V
• Context system Odin, JAI
  • Also provides "thead safe" globals, binding model
• Prefixing type modifiers, such that can be read left to right Odin, JAI
• Multiple return values and destructuring Odin, V,
• Specifying return value names [Odin](odin.html]
• Making a member transparent Odin, JAI
• Have distinct char types Odin, V
• Module system Odin, Zig, Austral, V
• AOS/SOA ISPC
• Powerful relection/introspection Zig
• Declaration simplification Odin, V, cppfront, JAI
• Bit fields a combination of Zig sized types plus c3 "bit structs" seems appealing
• Simplify/remove precedence Austral, Pony

Hylo

• Indicating mutability at use site with &
• Having references as something different from pointers
• Concept of "consuming" a variable
• Styles of parameter passing and checking for independence

Zig

• Access to low level intrinsics/features
• Use of @ for builtin intrinsics
• Bit sized built in types
• Bit/non byte sized pointer access, or sentinel terminated
• Makes C compatible types explit
• Compile time "regular" code for generics
• Allows zero sized types

Odin

• Simplified declaration syntax
  • The :: and := syntax
  • Lead with the name
• Named return values

V

• The in syntax
• The match with true and false

cppfront

• Parameter styles (similar to Hylo)
• Simplified declaration style
• Named return value/s
• First used/last use analysis
• Unified calling style (can call a free function as method potentially)

Pony

• Actor system
• Removing precedence for infix
• Expression orientation
• Returning old value from assignment is interesting