How to Create a New JVM Language [Devoxx US`17]

In this session, we'll create a new programming language called DevoxxLang! We'll construct its grammar, semantics, operations and the interpreter for the language. Additionally, we'll learn about parsers and how to perform simple optimizations, both at compile time and otherwise. Most importantly we'll tackle the interoperability problem with the underlying platform, which in our case is the JVM.

This session will briefly discuss type systems, optimizations, memory management and concurrency issues that programming languages all encounter. Have you ever wanted to create a programming language of your own? After this session, you will have seen all the tools you need to do so and will understand more about how are programming languages work including the challenges you’ll face.

Transcript

1. Oleg Šelajev
   @shelajev
   ZeroTurnaround
   How to create a
   new JVM language
   

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2. @shelajev
   

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4. And you won’t believe how easy
   it is and where it’ll take you!
   How to Create a New JVM
   Language in Under an Hour
   

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6. General programming language or special purpose?
   Fast execution vs. fast development
   Flexibility, maintainability and consistency
   

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7. Piet is a programming language in
   which programs look like
   abstract paintings.
   The language is named after Piet
   Mondrian, who pioneered the field
   of geometric abstract art. I would
   have liked to call the language
   Mondrian, but someone beat me to
   it with a rather mundane-looking
   scripting language. Oh well, we
   can't all be esoteric language
   writers I suppose.
   http://www.dangermouse.net/esoteric/piet.html
   

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8. CREATING A NEW
   LANGUAGE
   IN 20 EASY STEPS
   http://jakubdziworski.github.io/categories.html#Enkel-ref
   

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10. LEXER
    https://courses.engr.illinois.edu/cs421/sp2013/lectures/lecture5-6ann.pdf
    

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11. PARSER
    https://courses.engr.illinois.edu/cs421/sp2013/lectures/lecture7-8ann.pdf
    

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12. COMPILER
    

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14. WRITING YOUR OWN LANGUAGE
    Prototype
    > Create semantics, parser, AST, interpreter
    Write a VM
    > In low level language, spending tons of time
    People start using it
    People complain about performance
    > Define a bytecode, write an interpreter
    Performance is still bad
    > Write a JIT compiler, improve the GC
    https://lafo.ssw.uni-linz.ac.at/pub/papers/2016_PLDI_Truffle.pdf
    

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17. WRITE YOUR OWN LANGUAGE
    Prototype language in Java
    > Create semantics, parser & AST interpreter
    Write a VM
    > In low level language, spending tons of time
    People start using it
    > It’s already fast!
    > And it integrates with other languages and tools
    Performance is still bad
    > Write a JIT compiler, improve the GC
    https://lafo.ssw.uni-linz.ac.at/pub/papers/2016_PLDI_Truffle.pdf
    

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18. GRAAL
    dynamic compiler & interpreter
    for a language runtime
    TRUFFLE
    language implementation framework
    

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19. GRAAL
    dynamic compiler & interpreter
    for a language runtime
    TRUFFLE
    language implementation framework
    

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21. GETTING GRAAL
    Download GraalVM
    http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/oracle-labs/program-languages/overview/index.html
    

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23. RESULTS
    (2+3) * 4.0 / (3 - 1)
    10.0
    

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24. RESULTS
    JVM IS AWESOME!
    https://lafo.ssw.uni-linz.ac.at/pub/papers/2016_PLDI_Truffle.pdf
    

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26. TYPES
    

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27. INTEROP
    

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28. CONCURRENCY
    

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29. GARBAGE COLLECTION
    Pro tip:
    focus on one of these and reuse the existing other
    

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30. COMPILER
    Pro tip:
    focus on one of these and reuse the existing other
    

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31. LANGUAGE: RUNTIME + LIBRARY
    Pro tip:
    focus on one of these and reuse the existing other
    

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32. https://toggl.com/programming-princess
    

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33. oleg@zeroturnaround.com
    @shelajev
    Find me and chat with me!
    

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