This project is archived and is succeeded by https://github.com/yukiisbored/zcauchemar

Cauchemar

Cauchemar is a stack-based programming language inspired by FORTH but more arcane.

Emulates the look and feel of a programming language from the 60s to early 70s.
Lacks variables and registers.
Single global stack which stores 32-bit integers, booleans, and string.
No side-effects, can only print values to a terminal.
No Read-Eval-Print-Loop.

PROGRAM:
  "Hello, world!" PRINT       /* Display "Hello, world!"                */
  16 32 + 4 2 * /             /* Calculate (16 + 32) / (4 * 2)          */
  DUP PRINT                   /* Print the result                       */
  DUP 6 EQUALS ASSERT         /* Validate the result                    */
  PLUS-FORTY-TWO              /* Call routine "PLUS-FORTY-TWO"          */
  
  DUP 50 GREATER-THAN         /* Check if the result is greater than 50 */
  IF   "This is wrong" PRINT
  ELSE "This is right" PRINT
  THEN
  
  DO 1 -                      /* Count down to 0                        */
     DUP PRINT 
     DUP 0 GREATER-THAN 
  WHILE
  
  DROP                        /* Reject the top of the stack            */
    
  
PLUS-FORTY-TWO:
  42 +                        /* Add 42 to the top of the stack         */

Planned features

Performance improvements
- Reduce copying as much as possible
- String interning
Registers to store values outside of the stack
Backtrace on panic
Human-readable parser errors
Terminal input
More standard routines
- Math routines
- String routines
- Stack manipulation routines
- Terminal IO routines
Interactive session
- Not an REPL, step through each commands while inspecting the internal VM state.
- Hopefully runs within the web browser for accessibility.

Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q)

Why did you make this?

This programming language came from my dreams and it left a mark on me.

I thought it would be funny to make a real.

At the same time, I feel like it's quite interesting to explore a stack-based programming language and roleplay as if we're in some "false-past" of early computing, akin to the world building you find in Zachtronics games.

Today, stack-based computing takes a more background role as they're still widely-used as the basis of many virtual machines for a garden variety of programming languages or computing environments (i.e. WebAssembly, JVM, CPython, CLR).

What does the name mean?

"Cauchemar" is the French word for "Nightmare" which is the origin of the programming language.

Can I use this on production?