documentation updates

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Araq 2014-10-11 01:30:17 +02:00
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Home
====
Welcome to Nimrod
-----------------
Welcome to Nim
--------------
**Nimrod** is a statically typed, imperative programming language that tries to
give the programmer ultimate power without compromises on runtime efficiency.
This means it focuses on compile-time mechanisms in all their
various forms.
**Nim** (formerly known as "Nimrod") is a statically typed, imperative
programming language that tries to give the programmer ultimate power without
compromises on runtime efficiency. This means it focuses on compile-time
mechanisms in all their various forms.
Beneath a nice infix/indentation based syntax with a
powerful (AST based, hygienic) macro system lies a semantic model that supports
@ -18,10 +18,10 @@ shared memory heap is also provided for the increased efficiency that results
from that model.
Nimrod looks like this:
=======================
Nim looks like this:
====================
.. code-block:: nimrod
.. code-block:: nim
# compute average line length
var count = 0
var sum = 0
@ -34,11 +34,11 @@ Nimrod looks like this:
if count > 0: sum / count else: 0
Nimrod is efficient
===================
Nim is efficient
================
* Native code generation (currently via compilation to C), not dependent on a
virtual machine: **Nimrod produces small executables without dependencies
virtual machine: **Nim produces small executables without dependencies
for easy redistribution.**
* A fast **non-tracing** garbage collector that supports soft
real-time systems (like games).
@ -55,11 +55,11 @@ Nimrod is efficient
the stack.
Nimrod is expressive
====================
Nim is expressive
=================
* **The Nimrod compiler and all of the standard library are implemented in
Nimrod.**
* **The Nim compiler and all of the standard library are implemented in
Nim.**
* Built-in high level datatypes: strings, sets, sequences, etc.
* Modern type system with local type inference, tuples, variants,
generics, etc.
@ -69,31 +69,31 @@ Nimrod is expressive
* Macros can modify the abstract syntax tree at compile time.
Nimrod is elegant
=================
Nim is elegant
==============
* Macros can use the imperative paradigm to construct parse trees. Nimrod
* Macros can use the imperative paradigm to construct parse trees. Nim
does not require a different coding style for meta programming.
* Macros cannot change Nimrod's syntax because there is no need for it.
Nimrod's syntax is flexible enough.
* Macros cannot change Nim's syntax because there is no need for it.
Nim's syntax is flexible enough.
* Statements are grouped by indentation but can span multiple lines.
Indentation must not contain tabulators so the compiler always sees
the code the same way as you do.
Nimrod plays nice with others
=============================
Nim plays nice with others
==========================
* The Nimrod Compiler runs on Windows, Linux, BSD and Mac OS X.
* The Nim Compiler runs on Windows, Linux, BSD and Mac OS X.
Porting to other platforms is easy.
* **The Nimrod Compiler can also generate C++ or Objective C for easier
* **The Nim Compiler can also generate C++ or Objective C for easier
interfacing.**
* There are lots of bindings: for example, bindings to GTK2, the Windows API,
the POSIX API, OpenGL, SDL, Cairo, Python, Lua, TCL, X11, libzip, PCRE,
libcurl, mySQL and SQLite are included in the standard distribution or
can easily be obtained via the
`Babel package manager <https://github.com/nimrod-code/babel>`_.
* A C to Nimrod conversion utility: New bindings to C libraries are easily
* A C to Nim conversion utility: New bindings to C libraries are easily
generated by ``c2nim``.

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====
..
2014-06-29 Version 0.9.6 released
=================================
2014-10-11 Version 0.10.0 released
==================================
Changes affecting backwards compatibility
-----------------------------------------
@ -47,6 +47,10 @@ News
found under the `nim-code <https://github.com/nimrod-code>`_ organisation.
- Removed the deprecated ``web`` module, the ``httpclient`` module should
be used instead.
- Large parts of the stdlib got rid of the T/P type prefixes. Instead most
types now simply start with an uppercased letter. The
so called "partial case sensitivity" is now active allowing code
like ``var foo: Foo``.
- String case (or any non-ordinal case) statements
without 'else' are deprecated.
- Recursive tuple types are not allowed anymore. Use ``object`` instead.

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General
=======
What is Nimrod?
---------------
What is Nim?
------------
Nimrod is a statically typed, imperative programming language that tries to
give the programmer ultimate power without compromises on runtime efficiency.
Nim (formerly known as "Nimrod") is a statically typed, imperative programming
language that tries to give the programmer ultimate power without compromises
on runtime efficiency.
This means it focuses on compile-time mechanisms in all their
various forms. Beneath a nice infix/indentation based syntax with a
powerful (AST based, hygienic) macro system lies a semantic model that supports
@ -23,7 +24,7 @@ from that model.
Why yet another programming language?
-------------------------------------
Nimrod is one of the very few *programmable* statically typed languages, and
Nim is one of the very few *programmable* statically typed languages, and
one of the even fewer that produces native binaries that require no
runtime or interpreter.
@ -36,29 +37,29 @@ C++, Python, Lisp, Oberon.
What is Nimrod's take on concurrency?
-------------------------------------
What is Nim's take on concurrency?
----------------------------------
Nimrod primarily focusses on thread local (and garbage collected) heaps and
asynchronous message passing between threads. Each thread has its own GC, so no
Nim primarily focusses on thread local (and garbage collected) heaps and
message passing between threads. Each thread has its own GC, so no
"stop the world" mechanism is necessary. An unsafe shared memory heap is also
provided.
provided.
Future versions will additionally include a GC "per thread group"
and Nimrod's type system will be enhanced to accurately model this shared
and Nim's type system will be enhanced to accurately model this shared
memory heap.
How is Nimrod licensed?
-----------------------
How is Nim licensed?
--------------------
The Nimrod compiler and the library are MIT licensed.
The Nim compiler and the library are MIT licensed.
This means that you can use any license for your own programs developed with
Nimrod.
Nim.
How stable is Nimrod?
---------------------
How stable is Nim?
------------------
The compiler is in development and some important features are still missing.
However, the compiler is quite stable already: It is able to compile itself
@ -66,11 +67,11 @@ and a substantial body of other code. Until version 1.0.0 is released,
minor incompatibilities with older versions of the compiler will be introduced.
How fast is Nimrod?
-------------------
How fast is Nim?
----------------
Benchmarks show it to be comparable to C. Some language features (methods,
closures, message passing) are not yet as optimized as they could and will be.
The only overhead Nimrod has over C is the GC which has been tuned
The only overhead Nim has over C is the GC which has been tuned
for years but still needs some work.
@ -84,7 +85,7 @@ but would require much work.
What about editor support?
--------------------------
- Nimrod IDE: https://github.com/nimrod-code/Aporia
- Nim IDE: https://github.com/nimrod-code/Aporia
- Emacs: https://github.com/Tass/nimrod-mode
- Vim: https://github.com/zah/nimrod.vim/
- Scite: Included