Facebook Rolls Out New PHP-like Programming Language
New Hack language adds static typing and other conveniences.
Facebook has released an open source version of Hack, a programming language for the HHVM run-time platform. HHVM is a virtual machine for PHP created by Facebook. According to Facebook's Julien Verlaguet, Hack developed as a way for Facebook to address the problem of delivering accurate code in a timely manner at the vast scale of a company like Facebook. “Could early error detection co-exist with rapid iteration, all the while preserving our investment in PHP? Could improved code analysis and introspection help make developers more productive with tools like auto-complete?”
Verlaguet's blog post goes on to explain that "Hack has deep roots in PHP …. In fact, most PHP files are already valid Hack files." The main innovation added with Hack is static typing. Hack’s type system adds features such as generics, nullable types, type aliasing, and contraints on type parameters. Hack also adds Collections (a type-safe alternative to PHP arrays), lambda expressions, and run-time enforcement of return types and parameter types.
Facebook says it has already migrated nearly all its PHP codebase to Hack.
The Hack source code is available at the project website.
Issue 172/2015
Buy this issue as a PDF
News
-
Old Vulnerabilities Are Kept Alive Through Bad Configuration
HP's annual Cyber Risk report offers a bleak look at the state of IT.
-
Linus Torvalds Announces Linux 4.0
But what do the big numbers really mean?
-
Microsoft Frees CoreCLR
.NET Core execution engine is the basis for cross-platform .NET implementations.
-
New Trojan Attacks Linux Servers
The Xnote trojan hides itself on the target system and will launch a variety of attacks on command.
-
Cisco Releases Annual Security Report
Spammers go low-volume, and 90% of IE browsers are unpatched.
-
Zero Day Exploits Target Flash
Adobe scrambles to release patches for vulnerable Flash Player.
-
Intel Unveils Compute Stick
Four-inch-long computer on a stick lets you boot a full Linux system from any HDMI display device.
-
Obama Proposes Personal Data Notification Law
New statute would require companies to report break-ins to consumers.
-
TGXf Project Warns of File Transfer through Screen Pixels
Weird data transfer technique avoids all standard security measures.
-
Industry Giants Announce a Fix for the Password Mess
FIDO alliance declares the beginning of the end for old-style login authentication.