slovo/README.md

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Slovo

Slovo (ⰔⰎⰑⰂⰑ) is a typed structural programming language and toolchain.

This repository is the canonical public monorepo for the language design, standard library source, compiler, runtime, examples, benchmarks, and technical documents.

Current release: 1.0.0-beta.12.

Repository Layout

compiler/       Glagol, the first Slovo compiler
runtime/        C runtime used by hosted native builds
lib/std/        source-authored Slovo standard-library facades
examples/       compiler-supported Slovo examples and projects
benchmarks/     local benchmark comparison harnesses
docs/language/  language manifest, specs, roadmap, and release notes
docs/compiler/  compiler manifest, roadmap, and release notes
docs/papers/    whitepapers and generated publication PDFs
scripts/        local release and document tooling

Beta Scope

1.0.0-beta.12 keeps the 1.0.0-beta language baseline, includes the 1.0.0-beta.1 tooling/install hardening slice, the 1.0.0-beta.2 runtime/resource foundation bundle, the 1.0.0-beta.3 standard-library stabilization bundle, the 1.0.0-beta.4 language-usability diagnostics bundle, the 1.0.0-beta.5 local package/workspace discipline bundle, and the 1.0.0-beta.6 loopback networking foundation, plus the 1.0.0-beta.7 serialization/data-interchange foundation and the 1.0.0-beta.8 concrete type alias foundation, the 1.0.0-beta.9 collection alias unification and generic reservation slice, the 1.0.0-beta.10 developer-experience API discovery slice, and the 1.0.0-beta.11 local package API documentation slice, plus the 1.0.0-beta.12 concrete vector query and prefix parity slice. The language baseline supports practical local command-line, file, and loopback-network programs with:

  • modules, explicit imports, packages, and local workspaces
  • new, check, fmt, test, doc, symbols, build, run, and clean
  • i32, i64, u32, u64, f64, bool, string, and internal unit
  • structs, enums, fixed arrays, concrete vectors, option/result families, and current match
  • module-local transparent concrete type aliases
  • explicit std/*.slo imports from lib/std, installed share/slovo/std, or SLOVO_STD_PATH
  • beta-scoped loopback TCP handles through std.net
  • JSON string quoting and compact JSON text construction through std.json
  • hosted native builds through LLVM IR, Clang, and runtime/runtime.c

The generated standard-library API catalog is a beta discovery aid: it lists exported helper signatures from lib/std/*.slo, normalizes module-local concrete aliases such as VecI32 and ResultU64 to their concrete public types, and omits non-exported helpers and (type ...) aliases. glagol symbols <file.slo|project|workspace> emits deterministic editor-facing S-expression metadata for modules, imports, exports, aliases, structs, enums, functions, tests, source spans, and workspace package names. glagol doc <file|project|workspace> -o <dir> now includes deterministic public API sections for local package and module documentation: exact exported function signatures, exported struct fields, exported enum variants and payload types, non-export filtering, and module-local alias normalization. The 1.0.0-beta.12 vector parity slice adds source-authored helper coverage only: std.vec_i64 gains count_of, starts_with, without_prefix, ends_with, and without_suffix, while std.vec_f64 gains count_of.

Still deferred before stable: executable generics, maps/sets, broad package registry semantics, stable Markdown schema, stable stdlib/API compatibility freeze, DNS/TLS/async networking, LSP/watch guarantees, SARIF and daemon protocols, diagnostics schema policy, re-exports/globs/hierarchical modules, mutable vectors, slice/view APIs, iterators, new compiler-known runtime names, stable ABI and layout, performance claims, and runtime changes for generic collections.

The next likely language slice after 1.0.0-beta.12 should continue from the developer-experience, diagnostics, and reserved generic/collection lanes without claiming executable generics, maps, sets, traits, inference, monomorphization, iterators, ABI stability, runtime changes, LSP/watch protocols, registry semantics, stable Markdown schema, or a standard-library/API compatibility freeze, mutable vectors, slice/view APIs, new runtime names, or performance claims until the contract and gates are explicit.

Build And Test

cargo test --manifest-path compiler/Cargo.toml

Run the full local release gate:

./scripts/release-gate.sh

Build the compiler binary:

cargo build --manifest-path compiler/Cargo.toml
./compiler/target/debug/glagol --version

Create and check a project:

./compiler/target/debug/glagol new hello
SLOVO_STD_PATH="$PWD/lib/std" ./compiler/target/debug/glagol check hello
SLOVO_STD_PATH="$PWD/lib/std" ./compiler/target/debug/glagol test hello

Build a native executable when Clang is available:

SLOVO_STD_PATH="$PWD/lib/std" ./compiler/target/debug/glagol build hello -o hello/bin

1.0.0-beta.1 Tooling Additions

The 1.0.0-beta.1 release improves the common local development and install loop without adding new source-language syntax.

Build and execute in one step:

SLOVO_STD_PATH="$PWD/lib/std" ./compiler/target/debug/glagol run hello
SLOVO_STD_PATH="$PWD/lib/std" ./compiler/target/debug/glagol clean hello

Create alternate project shapes:

./compiler/target/debug/glagol new numbers --template library
./compiler/target/debug/glagol new workspace-demo --template workspace

Install the current checkout:

PREFIX="$HOME/.local" ./scripts/install.sh

The installed layout is:

<prefix>/bin/glagol
<prefix>/share/slovo/std/*.slo
<prefix>/share/slovo/runtime/runtime.c

Installed glagol discovers share/slovo/std and share/slovo/runtime/runtime.c relative to its executable. SLOVO_STD_PATH can still override standard-library search, SLOVO_RUNTIME_C or GLAGOL_RUNTIME_C can override the runtime C input, and GLAGOL_CLANG can select the Clang-compatible compiler.

1.0.0-beta.2 Runtime Resource Foundation

The 1.0.0-beta.2 release adds beta-scoped runtime/resource foundation work:

  • std.fs.open_text_read_result
  • std.fs.read_open_text_result
  • std.fs.close_result
  • std.fs.exists
  • std.fs.is_file
  • std.fs.is_dir
  • std.fs.remove_file_result
  • std.fs.create_dir_result
  • matching explicit lib/std/fs.slo facades

These APIs use beta-scoped opaque i32 file handles. They do not claim stable file descriptors, writable streams, binary IO, directory handles, sockets, async IO, platform error codes, or stable handle ABI/layout. Directory creation is intentionally narrow and does not imply directory enumeration or recursive filesystem APIs.

1.0.0-beta.3 Standard Library Stabilization

The 1.0.0-beta.3 release starts the standard-library stabilization slice. It adds a generated standard-library API catalog and examples/projects/stdlib-composition, a checked/tested/run-capable program that composes std.fs, std.string, std.math, and std.io.

1.0.0-beta.4 Language Usability Diagnostics

The 1.0.0-beta.4 release improves diagnostics without changing the source language surface. Project/workspace build and run entry failures now use entry-specific diagnostic codes, and non-exhaustive match diagnostics have clearer wording with deterministic found-arm output.

1.0.0-beta.5 Package And Workspace Discipline

The 1.0.0-beta.5 release tightens local package/workspace behavior. Local workspaces may declare [workspace] default_package = "name" to select the build/run entry package when multiple packages have entry modules. Duplicate normalized workspace members and missing default-package references are now dedicated diagnostics. glagol doc <workspace> -o <dir> includes a workspace package/dependency summary, new workspace templates declare default_package = "app", and docs/language/PACKAGES.md documents the beta local-package rules. Remote registries, lockfiles, semantic-version solving, package publishing, and stable package ABI/layout remain deferred.

1.0.0-beta.6 Networking Foundation

The 1.0.0-beta.6 release adds a narrow blocking loopback TCP foundation:

  • compiler-known std.net.tcp_*_result calls for connect, listen, bound-port lookup, accept, read-all, write-text, and close
  • lib/std/net.slo source facades and explicit std/local example projects
  • opaque beta-scoped i32 socket handles with concrete result values

This is not a general networking stack. DNS, TLS, UDP, non-loopback binding, async IO, HTTP frameworks, rich host-error ADTs, stable socket ABI/layout, and automatic resource ownership remain deferred.

1.0.0-beta.7 Serialization And Data Interchange

The 1.0.0-beta.7 release adds a narrow JSON text-construction foundation:

  • compiler-known std.json.quote_string for deterministic compact JSON string quoting
  • lib/std/json.slo source helpers for scalar values, fields, small arrays, and small objects
  • explicit std/local JSON example projects and a json-quote-loop benchmark scaffold

This is not a complete JSON library. Full parsing, recursive JSON values, maps/sets, streaming encoders, schema validation, Unicode normalization, and a stable data-interchange API freeze remain deferred.

1.0.0-beta.8 Concrete Type Alias Foundation

The 1.0.0-beta.8 release adds transparent concrete type aliases:

(type JsonText string)

Aliases are module-local names for already supported concrete target types. They may appear in local signatures and annotations, but they do not create new runtime representations or stable ABI names. Project imports of functions that use aliases see the resolved concrete target type. Alias exports, imports, re-exports, generic aliases, parameterized aliases, maps/sets, and new compiler-known runtime names remain out of scope.

1.0.0-beta.9 Collection Alias Unification And Generic Reservation

The 1.0.0-beta.9 release applies beta.8 concrete aliases inside the current source-authored collection/value-family facades. The public helper names and runtime behavior remain concrete: current vectors, options, and results are still concrete families, and the local aliases are erased before lowering.

This release also reserves the generic/map/set direction through diagnostics and documentation only. It does not implement executable generics, maps, sets, traits, inference, monomorphization, iterators, stable ABI/layout promises, or a stable standard-library API freeze.

1.0.0-beta.10 Developer Experience API Discovery

The 1.0.0-beta.10 release upgrades the generated standard-library API catalog from exported helper names to exact exported helper signatures. The renderer verifies that every exported helper has a matching (fn ...) form, normalizes module-local concrete aliases from the public signatures, omits non-exported helpers and (type ...) aliases, and keeps the catalog generated from lib/std/*.slo.

It also adds glagol symbols <file.slo|project|workspace> as an editor-facing metadata command. The output is deterministic S-expression text using slovo.symbols schema version 1.0.0-beta.10; it includes module paths, source spans/ranges, imports, exports, aliases, structs, enums, functions, tests, and workspace package labels.

This release is tooling, documentation, and API-discovery work. It does not add executable generics, maps, sets, new runtime helpers, new compiler-known runtime names, ABI/layout guarantees, an LSP server, watch mode, or a stable standard-library API freeze.

1.0.0-beta.11 Local Package API Documentation

The 1.0.0-beta.11 release extends the beta.10 API discovery lane to local package and module documentation. glagol doc <file|project|workspace> -o <dir> includes deterministic exported/public API sections for local modules and workspace packages.

Those sections list exact exported function signatures, exported struct fields, and exported enum variants with payload types. They omit non-exported functions, structs, enums, tests, and aliases from the public API surface, and they normalize module-local concrete aliases before rendering public types.

This remains beta API discovery. It does not freeze the Markdown schema, create a stable stdlib/API compatibility freeze, add LSP/watch behavior, define SARIF or daemon protocols, set diagnostics schema policy, implement executable generics, maps, or sets, add re-exports, globs, or hierarchical modules, or define package registry semantics.

1.0.0-beta.12 Concrete Vector Query And Prefix Parity

The 1.0.0-beta.12 release is a source-authored stdlib/helper parity update for concrete vectors. It adds count_of, starts_with, without_prefix, ends_with, and without_suffix to std.vec_i64, and adds count_of to std.vec_f64, matching the already staged concrete helper style.

This release does not change the source language, runtime, compiler-known std.vec.* names, ABI/layout contract, or performance contract. Generics, maps/sets, iterators, mutable vectors, slice/view APIs, new runtime helper names, stable stdlib API freeze, and broader collection abstractions remain deferred.

Documentation

Generated PDFs live beside their Markdown sources in docs/papers/. Regenerate them with ./scripts/render-doc-pdfs.sh before documentation releases.

License

Slovo is licensed under either the MIT License or the Apache License, Version 2.0, at your option.