Byte Lang

Byte Lang is a systems oriented programming language that gives you full manual control like assembly, but with structured, readable syntax inspired by high-level languages.

Currently in early development: compiles to ARM64 assembly (tested on macOS Apple Silicon). More architectures coming soon.

• Features
• Installation
• Example
• Commands
• Project Goals
• Contributing

Project Goals

• This programming language is designed to behave exactly as written. Zero optimizations.
• At the same time, it aims to be highly performant through full manual control (with more effort required).
• Many compile time functions that allow the user to write complex and performant assembly wrappers.

It's particularly suited for:

• Operating systems and kernels
• Low-level libraries
• Performance-critical code

Features

• Early Development: Byte Lang is still evolving with a limited set of commands and features.
• Low-Level Control: Directly manipulate hardware and system resources with assembly-like syntax.
• Readable Syntax: A structured and human-friendly approach to low-level programming.

Contributing

Contributions are very welcome. This project is still early and needs help

• Feel free to open a GitHub issue for anything: bug reports, feature requests, questions, or even just ideas.
• No question is too simple to ask. Don't hesitate to request explanations of files, functions, or literally anything else.
• Every contribution, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated.
• If you'd like to work on something, comment on an issue and tag me to get it assigned. Feel free to ask questions.

Installation

Since Byte Lang is in its early stages, the installation process involves cloning the repository and building from source:

1. Clone:

   git clone https://github.com/morcules/byte-lang

2. Navigate to the Directory:

   cd byte-lang

3. Run your first program:

   ./byte-lang (command)

Commands

• run (file location like example.byte)
• build (file location like example.byte)

Example

void : term(i64 exit_code : [reg(x0)]) {
    asm(format("mov x1, #{}\nmov x16, #1\nsvc #0x80\n", 10));
}

void : test(i32 test_var : [stack], i64 test_var_two : [stack]) {

}

void : main() {
    i32 var = 5;
    i16 var2 = 2;
    i8 var3 = 1;
    i64 exit_code = 30;
    i64 exit_code_clone = exit_code;
    u64 test = 10;
    u8 something = 30;
    u8 something_clone = something;
    i64 exit_code_success = 0;

    bl(test, var, exit_code_clone);
    
    bl(term, exit_code_success);
}