v0.1.7-pre-beta

Wave v0.1.6-pre-beta Release Note

We are proud to announce a major milestone in the evolution of the Wave programming language. This release is not just a collection of patches; it represents a fundamental shift in Wave’s capabilities. From a completely overhauled CLI to sophisticated C ABI interoperability and a comprehensive Linux system interface, Wave is now equipped for serious systems engineering.

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1. Mastering Interoperability: System V ABI & C FFI

The implementation of a robust C Calling Convention (ABI) lowering mechanism allows Wave to handle complex data structures with the same precision as a native C compiler.

• ABI Compliance: Our LLVM backend now strictly follows standard ABI rules, including SRet (Structured Return) for large aggregates, ByVal for passing structures by value, and Split/HFA (Homogeneous Floating-point Aggregates) for high-performance vector passing.
• The extern Keyword: Declare external C functions with ease, including support for block syntax and symbol redirection.
• Safety in Packing: We’ve refactored aggregate packing to use build_memcpy instead of simple bit-casts, ensuring memory alignment requirements are strictly respected during FFI calls.

2. Direct Kernel Access: Linux x86_64 Syscall Suite

Wave now speaks the language of the Linux kernel natively via high-precision inline assembly. This foundation has allowed us to build the initial Wave Standard Library (std):

• std::sys::linux: Native, zero-overhead interfaces for FS, Memory Management (mmap), Process Control, and Time.
• std::net: Synchronous networking with TcpListener, TcpStream, and UdpSocket.
• std::libc: Ready-to-use bindings for essential C functions like malloc, free, stdio, and unistd.

Note: The standard library is in early development. While we are stabilizing the internal coupling, we recommend using std/libc for critical external bindings.

3. Hardened Inline Assembly: Clobbers and Normalization

Low-level programming requires total control. We’ve upgraded our asm blocks to support clobber clauses (e.g., clobber("rax", "memory")). This prevents subtle optimization bugs by explicitly informing the compiler about register and memory trashing.

The new AsmPlan engine automatically handles register normalization and sign-aware operand extension, making inline assembly both safer and more expressive.

4. Advanced Type System: Enums and Type Aliases

Wave now provides better tools for data modeling and code readability:

• Enums: Define named constants with a specific underlying representation. Enum variants are automatically treated as global constants.

  enum ShaderUniformType -> i32 { FLOAT = 0, VEC2, VEC3 }

• Type Aliases: Simplify complex type signatures and improve code reuse.

  enum ShaderUniformType -> i32 {
      FLOAT = 0,
      VEC2,
      VEC3,
      VEC4
  }
  
  type UniformType = ShaderUniformType;

• Type Resolution Pass: A new compiler pass flattens aliases and resolves enum types across the entire program before code generation begins.

5. Iterative Constant Evaluation

Our constant evaluator is now significantly more powerful. It supports multi-round resolution, allowing constants to depend on other constants defined later in your code.

• Aggregate Support: You can now define constants that are struct literals or array literals.
• Built-in Keywords: true, false, and null are now fully supported in constant contexts.
• Frontend Validation: The compiler now catches undeclared identifiers and type mismatches much earlier in the verification phase.

6. A Modern, Structured CLI

We have completely refactored the wavec toolchain with a command-dispatch system:

• Commands: run, build, install std, and update std.
• Enhanced Linking: Use --link and -L to link against external system libraries directly.
• Improved Diagnostics: Refined RGB color palette and accurate source-pointing for a better developer experience.

7. Formalizing the Project

• Wave Foundation: Core maintenance and assets are now officially managed by the Wave Foundation.
• MPL-2.0 License: All source files are now licensed under the Mozilla Public License v2.0.
• Rich Examples: Explore examples/ for everything from a mini-game to a TCP HTTP server and Graph algorithms (DFS/BFS).

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Looking Ahead

Wave v0.1.7-pre-beta transforms the language into a tool capable of building its own ecosystem. With C FFI, enums, and direct syscall support, Wave is ready for the next level of system programming.

Get started:

# Install the compiler
# Set up the standard library
wavec install std

# Run the new Enum/Type Alias example
wavec run examples/type_enum.wave

Wave: Build fast, stay lean, and control the machine.