51 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
51 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
# Dust
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Dust is a high-level interpreted programming language with static types that focuses on ease of use,
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performance and correctness.
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## Implementation
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Dust is implemented in Rust and is divided into several parts, primarily the lexer, compiler, and
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virtual machine. All of Dust's components are designed with performance in mind and the codebase
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uses as few dependencies as possible.
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### Lexer
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The lexer emits tokens from the source code. Dust makes extensive use of Rust's zero-copy
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capabilities to avoid unnecessary allocations when creating tokens. A token, depending on its type,
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may contain a reference to some data from the source code. The data is only copied in the case of an
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error, because it improves the usability of the codebase for errors to own their data when possible.
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In a successfully executed program, no part of the source code is copied unless it is a string
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literal or identifier.
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### Compiler
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The compiler creates a chunk, which contains all of the data needed by the virtual machine to run a
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Dust program. It does so by emitting bytecode instructions, constants and locals while parsing the
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tokens, which are generated one at a time by the lexer.
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#### Parsing
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Dust's compiler uses a custom Pratt parser, a kind of recursive descent parser, to translate a
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sequence of tokens into a chunk.
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#### Optimizing
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When generating instructions for a register-based virtual machine, there are opportunities to
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optimize the generated code, usually by consolidating register use or reusing registers within an
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expression. While it is best to output optimal code in the first place, it is not always possible.
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Dust's compiler has a simple peephole optimizer that can be used to modify isolated sections of the
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instruction list through a mutable reference.
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### Instructions
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### Virtual Machine
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## Previous Implementations
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## Inspiration
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- [The Implementation of Lua 5.0](https://www.lua.org/doc/jucs05.pdf)
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- [A No-Frills Introduction to Lua 5.1 VM Instructions](https://www.mcours.net/cours/pdf/hasclic3/hasssclic818.pdf)
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- [Crafting Interpreters](https://craftinginterpreters.com/)
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