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
-
Substantial Update to IPFire Now Available
The lastest version of IPFire features a fundamental change to how the system handles DNS.
-
Gnome Working on Test Center App to Make Testing Easier
It's now possible to test experimental features on the Gnome desktop without worrying that you'll break things.
-
New Vulnerability Discovered in Linux Kernel
Hiding out for nearly 15 years, the Ghostlock vulnerability allows a standard logged-in user to gain root privileges.
-
New Linux Flaw Lets Attackers Escape VMs
A 16-year-old vulnerability allows an attacker to escape a virtual machine, gain access to the host, and execute malicious code.
-
Hannah Montana Linux Is Back!
Developer Noah Cagle decided the world needed the once obscure but beloved Linux distribution and gave it a decidedly pink refresh.
-
System76 Refreshes the Lemur Laptop
If you're looking for a laptop with tons of power and battery, look no further than the latest iteration of the System76 Lemur Pro.
-
More than 43 Million Lines of Code in Linux Kernel 7.2
Using the cloc utility, Michael Larabel of Phoronix discovered that Linux kernel 7.2 has over 43 million lines of code.
-
Kubuntu Focus Goes Ultra
The Kubuntu Focus team has upped the performance ante of its M2 and Zr laptops with the latest, greatest CPUs from Intel.
-
Linux Gamers May Soon See Less Mouse Lag in KDE Plasma
Gamers using KDE’s Plasma desktop have been suffering from a slight input delay in mouse movement that could lead to getting fragged.
-
Three Lines of Code Improve Linux Storage Performance
A developer changed three lines of code, giving Linux storage performance a 5% bump.