Arc Makes Programs Shorter
Businessman and Lisp enthusiast Paul Graham presented the initial version of the Arc programming language. Graham points in particular to the brevity of Arc source code and has launched a programming language competition.
The release announcement describes Arc as a new dialect of Lisp which is still not complete, but usable. Currently Arc compiles source code with MzScheme, another member of the Lisp family, from which Arc borrows numeric and mathematical operations.
Graham sees Arc as a language for practically-oriented programmers who enjoy experimenting and need more freedom in program design. He refers to the language as "non-bureaucratic".
Above all, the language impresses with short source code files and parsing trees. After all, this is the whole point of a high-level language Paul Graham emphasizes. To add practical relevance to this, Graham is organizing a programming competition in the Arc Forum. The tasks describes a website that processes a simple form. Grahams Arc code for the complete application looks like this:
(defop said req (aform [w/link (pr "you said: " (arg _ "foo")) (pr "click here")] (input "foo") (submit)))
The Arc Challenge for fans of other programming languages is to create shorter source code for the program.
The Arc homepage has an installation guide and a short introduction to Arc programming, which does not assume prior knowledge of Lisp. Arc is licensed under the Perl Foundation's Artistic License 2.0.
Related content
-
Highlight Learns F#
The new version of Highlight, the software that highlights numerous program codes in color, supports amongst other languages, F#.
-
Conceptual 1.0 with GUI and Eclipse Plug-in
The Conceptual domain-specific language generates programs that measure the performance and test the correctness of networks and their protocol layers. The newest version 1.0 of the product provides a graphical user interface (GUI) to facilitate generating these programs.
-
Log for C++ Reaches Version 1.0
Version 1.0 of Log for C++, a class library with numerous logging functions has just been released.
-
Berkeley DB for C# and STL
The embeddable database Berkeley DB is available in version 4.8.26 with new APIs.
-
Video: Programming with the Python Django web framework
In response to a challenge to programming language developers set by the editors of Linux Magazine, Python Django returned with a solution that is now available as a video workshop.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
USB4 Maintainer Leaves Intel
Michael Jamet, one of the primary maintainers of USB4 and Thunderbolt drivers, has left Intel, leaving a gaping hole for the Linux community to deal with.
-
Budgie 10.9.3 Now Available
The latest version of this elegant and configurable Linux desktop aligns with changes in Gnome 49.
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.
-
AerynOS Alpha Release Available
With a choice of several desktop environments, AerynOS 2025.08 is almost ready to be your next operating system.
-
AUR Repository Still Under DDoS Attack
Arch User Repository continues to be under a DDoS attack that has been going on for more than two weeks.
-
RingReaper Malware Poses Danger to Linux Systems
A new kind of malware exploits modern Linux kernels for I/O operations.
-
Happy Birthday, Linux
On August 25, Linux officially turns 34.
-
VirtualBox 7.2 Has Arrived
With early support for Linux kernel 6.17 and other new additions, VirtualBox 7.2 is a must-update for users.
-
Linux Mint 22.2 Beta Available for Testing
Some interesting new additions and improvements are coming to Linux Mint. Check out the Linux Mint 22.2 Beta to give it a test run.