rev/mpl

developtheweb@protonmail.com 3cf435b41e Initial commit: Mathematical Programming Language (MPL)

A proof-of-concept parser demonstrating that programming languages can be built
entirely from mathematical notation, enabling cognitive universality in computing.

MPL replaces English keywords with mathematical symbols, making programming
accessible to the 80% of humanity who don't speak English. Every design decision
follows the Fatima Test: "Will this make sense to a 10-year-old who doesn't
speak English?"

Current implementation:
- Complete ANTLR 4 grammar with 70+ mathematical operators
- Parser supporting all major programming paradigms
- Zero grammar ambiguities
- ASCII escape sequences for every Unicode symbol

This release contains:
- Core parser implementation
- Grammar specification
- Example programs
- Comprehensive documentation
- Whitepaper outlining the vision

Note: This is a parser-only proof of concept. Programs can be parsed but not
executed. The interpreter and runtime are future work.

2025-07-26 18:39:08 -04:00

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🚀 Lock lexical & grammar spec for M0

✅ RESOLVED - All blockers have been addressed

Overview

This issue tracked the resolution of three critical blockers that must be decided before implementing the ANTLR 4 grammar for MPL. All decisions have been made and incorporated into the specification.

Blockers

1. Comment Syntax ✅

Status: RESOLVED
Decision needed by: Before lexer PR is merged
Rationale: Source files cannot compile without comment support

Options to consider:

-- till EOL (Ada/Haskell style)
/* ... */ (C style)
# till EOL (Python/Ruby style)
Support for both single-line and multi-line comments

DECISION: Use -- for single-line and {- ... -} for multi-line (Haskell-style) to align with functional paradigm

2. String Literal Rules ✅

Status: RESOLVED
Decision needed by: Before lexer PR is merged
Rationale: Required for hello-world sample

Decisions needed:

Escape sequences: Standard set (\n, \t, \\, \") + Unicode (\u{1F600})
String delimiters: Double quotes only or support for raw strings?
Multi-line string support?
String interpolation syntax (or defer to M1)?

DECISION:

Use "..." for regular strings with standard escapes (\n, \t, \\, \", \u{XXXXXX})
Add """...""" for multi-line raw strings (no escapes)
String interpolation deferred to M1

3. Path Literal Fallback ✅

Status: RESOLVED
Decision needed by: Before lexer PR is merged
Rationale: 🖫 glyph may not render on all systems

Options:

Make 🖫 required (pure Unicode approach)
Add ASCII escape like @path"..." or #path"..."
Use \path as the ASCII escape (consistent with other escapes)

DECISION: Support both 🖫"..." and \path"..." for maximum compatibility

Additional Lexical Decisions

ASCII Escape Mapping

Need complete one-to-one table for all Unicode glyphs. Current partial list:

\gamma → γ
\lam or \lambda → λ
\Rightarrow → ⇒
etc.

Number Literal Format

Decimal: 123, 123.456, 1.23e10
Hex: 0x1A2B
Binary: 0b1101
Suffixes: _i32, _f64, _bigint (or defer to M1?)

Exit Criteria

Once this issue is closed, we can:

Implement the lexer with confidence
Parse all example programs
Generate syntax highlighting for editors
Create the glyph-escapes.md reference

Resolution Summary

All blockers have been resolved and incorporated into the specification:

Comments: -- for single-line, {- ... -} for multi-line (nestable)
Strings: "..." with escapes, """...""" for raw multi-line
Paths: Both 🖫"..." and \path"..." supported

Completed Actions

✅ All decisions made and documented
✅ Updated math_prog_lang.md with lexical rules
✅ Updated glyph-escapes.md with string escape sequences
✅ All example files updated with proper syntax
✅ Ready to tag specification as v0.1-alpha

Assignee: @developtheweb
Labels: blocker, M0, specification, grammar

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