Priml Programming Language

• Priml Programming Language
  • Introduction
  • Learn more about Priml
  • Building the compiler
    • On Windows:
    • On Linux:
  • Running the compiler
  • The unit.yaml file

Introduction

Priml (pronounced 'primal') is a new programming language aimed at facilitating systems and AI infrastructure development.

The design of the Priml language draws inspiration from C++, Rust, and Swift. Personally, I hold Rust and Swift in high regard as excellent programming languages, while my relationship with C++ is more of a love-hate one (you can read my C++ rant). Many of us who were C programmers decades ago initially viewed C++ as "C with classes". While there have been some positive developments, C++ has largely declined. Under guidance of C++ elitists and standards committees, the language has become incredibly complex and error-prone, and useful features for safety, security, or package management have not been added. To this day, there is no % format specifier available for printing strings in C++.

"Speaking of languages, it's time to halt starting any new projects in C/C++ and use Rust for those scenarios where a non-GC language is required. For the sake of security and reliability. the industry should declare those languages as deprecated" -- Mark Russinovich

Mark's advice is valid, but abandoning C/C++ means losing valuable core concepts. While Rust is an excellent language, it introduces many new concepts, restrictions, and unusual syntax.

Imagine a language that could preserve the good core concepts of C/C++, exclude the bad elements, incorporate the best features of Rust/Swift, and present an incredibly simple and clean syntax that is easy to learn. That is the design of Priml.

Learn more about Priml

• Language Docs
• Samples

Building the compiler

Building the compiler requires a few dependencies. They are listed here with instructions on how to install on Linux and Windows:

Dependencies Setup

After installing the dependencies, you can build the compiler from the source code. Following scripts are provided to make it easy to build and install the compiler.

Scripts
cm.sh cm.cmd	Configures the CMake files to build using Ninja and CLang. Only need to run once
bld.sh bld.cmd	Builds the compiler and tests. Can specify 'Debug' (default), 'Release', 'RelWithDebInfo' or 'MinSizeRel'
install.sh install.cmd	Installs the compiler. Must be run from "Administrative" prompt

On Windows:

git clone https://github.com/primllang/pc.git
cd pc
script\cm.cmd
script\bld.cmd
script\install.cmd

On Linux:

git clone https://github.com/primllang/pc.git
cd pc
chmod +x script/*.sh
script/cm.sh
script/bld.sh
script/install.sh

Running the compiler

See usage:

pc -?
Usage:
    new <unit> [--exe or --lib] [--nogit]
    build [<unit>] [<build type>]
    run [<unit>] [<build type>]
    clean <units> ...

Build types:
    --debug
    --release
    --relwithdeb

Other options:
    --verbose
    --cleanfirst
    --hard
    --checkdeps
    --diagfiles
    --savetemps
    --config <configfile>
    -?, --help

Create a new executable unit and initialize the git repo (default):

pc new --exe myexe

Create a new library unit with without git:

pc new --lib mylib --nogit

Build a unit by specifying the name of the directory where the unit is stored. If the directory is ommited, current directory is used. By default this builds the debug build type:

pc build myexe

Build a release build:

pc build myexe --release

Run the release build type of an executable unit using pc tool.

pc run myexe --release

The unit.yaml file

Each unit has a yaml file that describes the unit, source files and dependencies, and extended libraries written in cpp.

unit:
  name: helloworld
  type: exe
  version: 0.1.1
  edition: 2023
src:
  - main.pc
deps:
  - base:
      namespace: global
ext: