janet/README.md

# dst

[![Build Status](https://travis-ci.org/bakpakin/dst.svg?branch=master)](https://travis-ci.org/bakpakin/dst)

dst is a functional programming language and vm. It is a variant of
Lisp with several native useful datatypes. Some of the more interesting and
useful features are first class functions and closures, immutable and mutable
hashtables, arrays, and bytebuffers, macros (NYI), tail-call optimization,
and continuations (coroutines, error handling). The runtime and 
compiler are written in C99.

There is a repl for trying out the language, as well as the ability
to run script files. This client program is separate from the core runtime, so
dst could be embedded into other programs.

## Features

* First class closures
* Garbage collection
* Lexical scoping
* First class green threads (continuations)
* Mutable and immutable arrays (array/tuple)
* Mutable and immutable hashtables (table/struct)
* Mutable and immutable strings (buffer/string)
* Byte code interpreter with an assembly interface, as well as bytecode verification
* Proper tail calls for functional code
* Direct interop with C
* REPL (read eval print loop)

The code can be compiled to be either a bytecode interpreter and runtime, or
a full language.

## Compiling and Running

To build the runtime and run test, run
```sh
make test
```

A repl can also be run with
```sh
make repl
```

## Todo

* Documentation, with the caveat that things may change.
* Use serialization to allow creation of bytecode files that can be loaded.
  This includes defining a file format for the bytecode files. This mostly done.
  The byte code serialization could also be useful for the module system for loading artifacts.
* Pattern matching/regex library, as well as string formatting functions. This
  would also be useful for implementing better error messages.
* Better error messages, expecially for compilation. This probably means string
  formating functions.
* Macro/specials system that happens before compilation
* Module system. Something similar to node's require.
* Change name (dst is the name of many projects, including GNU Smalltalk).
  Maybe make logo :)?
* Change C API to be stack based for fewer potential memory management
  problems. This could mean making current C API internal and use separate
  API externally.
* Store source information in parallel data structure after parsing
* Use source information during compilation
* Use Lua style memory alocator backend C API (one single function for
  allocating/reallocating/freeing memory).
* More builtin libraires.
* Fuzzing