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The original was posted on /r/programminglanguages by /u/VoidPointer83 on 2024-09-08 20:24:05+00:00.

Hey everyone,

I’m a Brazilian software engineer, having started out in 2002 developing Flash Games (good times!). For the last 5 years, I’ve been working with highly distributed systems, mostly using Scala on the back-end, with some interaction on the React front-end. For fun, I also play around with C, Python, and other languages.

For the past two years, I’ve been working on FatScript, a lightweight, interpreted programming language designed mainly for console-based applications. What started as a personal project quickly turned into something more, with real use cases and spin-offs along the way.

Here are a few places where you can see FatScript in action:

  • Console Games & Particle Systems: FatScript Playground
  • Other spin-offs (ChatGPT CLI, also FigLET, lolcat and fortune ports, Elasicsearch client etc.): links here
  • System Migration Scripts: it was used for migration scripts in my current company’s billing system (though I can’t share the code).

For me, the motivation behind creating FatScript wasn’t to solve a specific problem, but to challenge myself and explore the “what if…” process of building a language from scratch. It’s not the fastest or most efficient language—though it may not be far behind JavaScript or Python—but what’s more interesting to me is that it brings together features I like from other languages I’ve worked with:

  • Minimalist Syntax: Focused on clarity and expressiveness with fewer lines of code.
  • Lightweight: The interpreter binary is around 350KB an packs some cool features including a simple HTTP server.
  • No Compilation Needed: Run your code directly for faster iteration.
  • Robust Type System: Offers enhanced reliability and easier debugging.
  • Functional Programming: Supports modern FP concepts in a simple, accessible way.

While none of these features are unique on their own, I think the combination makes FatScript a bit different. It’s all open-source, and I’d love to hear your thoughts or feedback!

For more details, you can check out the official docs or catch the live sessions every Monday on YouTube, where I share live coding, tips, and answer questions.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you find FatScript interesting!