--- layout: page title: About subtitle: More information about having fun... :) description: About _date: 2023-09-20 metasub: news noToc: false noDate: false tags: - fun - programming - language - about _description: The programming language that just makes fun! noComments: true permalink: /about/ --- ## What is Fun? Fun is a small, strict, and simple programming language that runs on a compact stack-based virtual machine. The C core is intentionally minimal; most functionality and standard libraries are implemented in Fun itself. Fun is dynamically typed with optional static type annotations, featuring first-class functions, classes with inheritance, pattern matching, and a rich standard library. It supports everything from basic scripting to TCP sockets, serial communication, threading, cryptography (MD5, SHA-1/256/384/512, CRC-32, AES-256), and a built-in debugger. Influenced by: **[Bash](https://www.gnu.org/software/bash/){:class="ext"}**, **[C](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_C_Programming_Language){:class="ext"}**, **[Lua](https://www.lua.org/){:class="ext"}**, **[PHP](https://www.php.net/){:class="ext"}**, **[Python](https://www.python.org/){:class="ext"}**, and **[Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/){:class="ext"}**. Fun is an experiment - just for fun - but Fun works! Fun is and will ever be 100% free under the terms of the [Apache-2.0 License](https://opensource.org/license/apache-2-0){:class="ext"}. --- ## Idea - Simplicity - Consistency - Simple to extend - Hackable - Joy in coding - Fun! ## Characteristics - **Dynamic typing** with optional **static type annotations** (`number`, `string`, `boolean`, `float`, `byte`, `uint8`–`uint64`, `int8`–`int64`) - **Stack-based bytecode VM** written in C99 with ~220 opcodes - **First-class functions**, anonymous functions (`fn`), and higher-order operations (`map`, `filter`, `reduce`) - **Classes** with constructors, methods, and single inheritance - **Exception handling** with `try`/`catch`/`finally` - **Built-in data structures**: arrays (with slicing), maps/objects, strings - **Concurrency**: threads (`thread_spawn`, `thread_join`) and cooperative async scheduler - **Networking**: TCP and Unix domain sockets with non-blocking I/O polling - **Serial communication**: full termios-based serial port control - **Cryptography**: pure-Fun implementations of MD5, SHA-1/256/384/512, CRC-32/CRC-32C, AES-256 ECB - **Built-in debugger** with breakpoints, step/next/finish, and stack inspection - **Minimal C core** — most standard libraries are implemented in Fun itself - **Internal style**: `snake_case` for functions and variables, `CamelCase` for class names ## The Fun Manifesto Fun is a programming language built on a simple idea: Coding should be enjoyable, elegant, and consistent. ### Philosophy - **Fun is Fun**
Programming should spark creativity, not frustration. Code in Fun feels light, playful, and rewarding. - **Fun Uses Nothing**
Minimalism is power. No unnecessary features, no endless syntax variations, no formatting debates. Just clean, uniform code. - **Indentation is Truth**
Two spaces, always. No tabs, no four-space wars. Code should look the same everywhere, from your laptop to /usr/bin/fun. - **One Way to Do It**
No clutter, no 15 ways of writing the same thing. Simplicity means clarity. - **Hackable by Nature**
Fun should be small and embeddable, like Lua. Easy to understand, extend, and tinker with — true to the hacker spirit. - **Beautiful Defaults**
A language that doesn't need linters, formatters, or style guides. Beauty is built in. ## The Community Fun is not about being the fastest or the most feature-rich. It's about sharing joy in coding. The community should be: - Respectful - Curious - Creative Like the name says: Fun Unites Nerds. Use the [Fun Community Page](../community/) to get in touch. ## The Goal A language that feels like home for developers who: - Love minimal, elegant tools - Believe consistency is freedom - Want to write code that looks good and feels good Fun may not change the world — but it will make programming a little more fun. ## Language Features ### Core Syntax & Types - Indentation-based blocks (2-space) - Line and block comments - Static type annotations with automatic runtime range clamping for fixed-width integers - `typeof()`, `to_string()`, `to_number()`, `cast()` — type introspection and conversion - `exit` statement with optional exit code - Source file includes: `#include "path"` and `#include ` ### Operators - Arithmetic: `+`, `-`, `*`, `/`, `%` - Comparison: `<`, `<=`, `>`, `>=`, `==`, `!=` - Logical: `&&`, `||`, `!` (short-circuit) - Bitwise: `band()`, `bor()`, `bxor()`, `bnot()`, `shl()`, `shr()`, `rol()`, `ror()` - Ternary: `condition ? true_expr : false_expr` ### Control Flow - `if` / `else if` / `else` - `while` with `break` and `continue` - `for var in array` — iteration - `for var in range(start, end)` — numeric range - `for (key, value) in map` — map destructuring - `match` expression (stdlib) - `try` / `catch` / `finally` ### Functions - `fun name(params) body` — named functions - `fn(params) body` — anonymous function literals - First-class: pass as arguments, store in variables - Recursion support - `return` with optional value (implicit nil) ### Object-Oriented Programming - `class Name(typed params) body` — class definition - `_construct(this, ...)` — auto-invoked constructor - `this` keyword for instance access - `obj.method(args)` — method call sugar (auto-binds this) - `obj.field` — dot property access - `class Child(...) extends Parent` — inheritance with method overriding ### Data Structures - **Arrays**: literal `[1, 2, 3]`, index access `arr[0]`, slice `arr[1:3]`, negative indices, `len()`, `push()`, `pop()`, `insert()`, `remove()`, `contains()`, `indexOf()`, `clear()`, `enumerate()`, `zip()`, `join()`, `map()`, `filter()`, `reduce()` - **Maps**: literal `{"key": value}`, bracket access `map["key"]`, dot access `map.key`, `has()`, `keys()`, `values()` - **Strings**: concatenation with `+`, `len()`, `substr()`, `find()`, `split()`, `join()` ### Pattern Matching & Regex - POSIX regex: `regex_match()`, `regex_search()`, `regex_replace()` ### Mathematics - Built-in: `abs`, `min`, `max`, `fmin`, `fmax`, `clamp`, `pow`, `sqrt`, `floor`, `ceil`, `trunc`, `round`, `sin`, `cos`, `tan`, `exp`, `log`, `log10`, `gcd`, `lcm`, `isqrt`, `sign` - Random: `random_seed()`, `random_int()`, `random_number()` (cryptographic) - Integer clamping: `sclamp()`, `uclamp()` ### I/O & Platform - `print()`, `echo()` — output - `read_file()`, `write_file()` — file I/O - `input_line()` — stdin with optional prompt - `env()`, `env_all()` — environment variables - `proc_run()`, `system()` — process execution - `os_list_dir()` — directory listing ### Date, Time & Sleep - `time_now_ms()`, `clock_mono_ms()`, `date_format()`, `sleep()` ### Networking (Built-in, Unix) - **TCP**: listen, accept, connect, send, recv, close - **Unix domain sockets**: listen, connect - **Non-blocking I/O**: `fd_set_nonblock()`, `fd_poll_read()`, `fd_poll_write()` ### Serial Communication (Unix) - `serial_open()`, `serial_config()`, `serial_send()`, `serial_recv()`, `serial_close()` ### Concurrency - `thread_spawn(fn, args)` — spawn thread, returns ID - `thread_join(id)` — join, returns result - Cooperative async scheduler in stdlib ### Debugging - Built-in debugger with 64 breakpoints - Step, next, finish, continue modes - `--trace` / `-t` for opcode-level execution tracing - `--repl-on-error`: enter REPL on runtime error with stack preserved ## Standard Library (stdlib) Written primarily in Fun itself (lib/): - **String utilities**: trim, starts/ends-with, split, replace-all, case conversion, repeat - **Array utilities**: slice, reverse, concat, unique, flatten - **Math helpers**: `abs`, `clamp`, `gcd`, `lcm`, `powi`, min3, max3, array min/max - **Hex encoding**: hex-to-bytes, bytes-to-hex, dec-to-hex, hex-to-dec - **Base64 encoding**: encode/decode - **Cryptography** (pure Fun): MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512, CRC-32, CRC-32C, AES-256 ECB - **Functional utilities**: Option type (Some/None), Result type (Ok/Err), pattern matching - **Range utilities**: `range(n)`, `range2(start, end)`, `range3(start, end, step)` - **Date/Time**: `DateTime` class with formatting, timers, sleep - **CLI**: `argv()`, `parse_args()` with flag support - **Console**: `Console` class with prompt, ask, hidden input, progress bar - **Process**: `Process` class wrapping proc_run/system - **Thread**: `Thread` class wrapping spawn/join - **Socket classes**: `TcpClient`, `TcpServer`, `UnixClient` - **Serial**: `Serial` class - **Async scheduler**: cooperative multitasking with I/O polling - **HTTP Servers**: static file server, CGI-capable server - **IRC**: `IRCClient` with full protocol support - **CGI**: `CGI` class for web applications ## Optional Extensions (Build-time) Enabled via CMake flags, each wrapping a mature C library: - **[JSON](/documentation/extensions/json/)** (`FUN_WITH_JSON` / [json-c](https://json-c.github.io/json-c/){:class="ext"}) — parse, stringify, file I/O ☑ - **[cURL](/documentation/extensions/curl/)** (`FUN_WITH_CURL` / [libcurl](https://curl.se/libcurl/){:class="ext"}) — HTTP GET, POST, download ☑ - **[SQLite](/documentation/extensions/sqlite/)** (`FUN_WITH_SQLITE` / [libsqlite3](https://www.sqlite.org/){:class="ext"}) — open, query, exec, close ☑ - **[PCRE2](/documentation/extensions/pcre2/)** (`FUN_WITH_PCRE2` / [libpcre2](https://www.pcre.org/){:class="ext"}) — Perl-compatible regex with flags ☑ - **[OpenSSL](/documentation/extensions/openssl/)** (`FUN_WITH_OPENSSL` / [libcrypto](https://www.openssl.org/){:class="ext"}) — MD5, SHA-256, SHA-512, RIPEMD-160 hashing ☑ - **[INI](/documentation/extensions/ini/)** (`FUN_WITH_INI` / [iniparser](https://github.com/ndevilla/iniparser){:class="ext"}) — load, get/set, save config files ☑ - **[XML](/documentation/extensions/xml2/)** (`FUN_WITH_XML2` / [libxml2](http://xmlsoft.org/){:class="ext"}) — parse, navigate, query XML documents ☑ - **[PC/SC](/documentation/extensions/pcsc/)** (`FUN_WITH_PCSC` / [libpcsclite](https://pcsclite.apdu.fr/){:class="ext"}) — smart card communication ☑ - **[KCGI](/documentation/extensions/kcgi/)** (`FUN_WITH_KCGI` / [libkcgi](https://kristaps.bsd.lv/kcgi/){:class="ext"}) — CGI web applications ☑ - **[Redis/Valkey](/documentation/extensions/redis/)** (`FUN_WITH_REDIS` / [hiredis](https://github.com/redis/hiredis){:class="ext"}) — Redis and Valkey support ☑ ☑ = Done Each extension also has a corresponding stdlib wrapper class (e.g., `JSON`, `INI`, `XML`, `PCSC`, `PCRE2`, `KCGI`). ## Tooling - **`fun`** — Interpreter/REPL: runs `.fun` scripts or starts interactive REPL - **`funstx`** — Syntax checker with optional `--fix` mode - **REPL** — Full-featured interactive shell with history, tab completion, multi-line input, and commands (`:help`, `:load`, `:edit`, `:save`, `:debug`, `:trace`, `:type`, and more) - **Built-in debugger** — breakpoints, step/next/finish, stack traces - **Formatting** — `clang-format` target for consistent C source ## Build System - **CMake** 3.10+ with C99 standard - Build toggles for debug mode, musl, REPL, C++ FFI, Rust FFI, Doxygen docs - Per-extension toggles for all optional libraries - Release builds with LTO, section GC, and symbol stripping - CTest integration — example scripts run as automated tests - Doxygen API reference generation ## Code - [https://git.xw3.org/fun/fun/](https://git.xw3.org/fun/fun/){:class="git"}