Status update on self-hosting my new Assembly syntax

First example program successfully translated!

4 programs now translating:

✓ ex1
✓ ex2
  ex3
✓ ex4
  ex5
  ex6
✓ ex7
  ex8
  ex9
...

Sample run:

$ cat examples/ex1.subx |dquotes |assort |pack |survey |hex > a.elf

https://github.com/akkartik/mu/blob/294a15206329/subx/Readme.md

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Status update on self-hosting my new Assembly syntax

All phases are done and passing tests separately. However I haven't yet managed to actually put the final phase together with the rest to build any actual programs.

Here's what I have so far in the final phase: http://akkartik.github.io/mu/html/subx/apps/survey.subx.html

I've also started working on the next step: a simple list of steps for building a minimal Linux kernel to go with SubX. It's the final dependency.

See more

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Status update on self-hosting my new Assembly syntax

All tests for the fifth and final phase are written, and detailed pseudocode has been sketched out (in classic waterfall fashion). That seems like 90% done. Is this when they say the remaining 90% kicks in? :)

Back on Mar 31 I estimated it would take 3-4 months. That makes the 'deadline' end-June or mid-July. Is this project somehow going to get delivered on schedule, in spite of missing all intermediate deadlines until now?!

Someone's been helping me. Is it possible adding more manpower to the project will help it get delivered on time?!

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My new Assembly syntax is now 4/5ths bootstrapped in itself. Just one phase left: https://github.com/akkartik/mu/pull/34

The previous phase took 7 weeks, but what's a factor of 7 between friends 😄

Some LoC stats (total, and excluding comments/tests):

• hex: 1511/144
• pack: 7348/1054
• assort: 1318/284
• dquotes: 2694/497

Similarly, some executable sizes:

• hex: 22KB/3KB
• pack: 37KB/8KB
• assort: 22KB/5KB
• dquotes: 27KB/6KB

https://github.com/akkartik/mu/blob/6f28e4b66/subx/Readme.md

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I just had an interesting chat with a contributor to SubX, my bootstrapped Assembly syntax. In response:

a) SubX now has sandbox branches where people can reimplement existing features.

b) I'll be publishing in-progress work. In the past wanting to keep HEAD passing tests has caused changes to accumulate for weeks at a time. Now they'll start getting feature branches like https://github.com/akkartik/mu/pull/23

Each PR at https://github.com/akkartik/mu/pulls now has context and instructions.

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My new Assembly syntax is making progress towards being self-hosted. It can now create ELF binaries with data, opcodes and immediate/displacement operands. What's left:

a) Packing mod/reg/rm operands, and scale/index/base operands into single bytes. (ETA: 2 days)

b) Handling string literals. (ETA: 1 week)

c) Support for labels. (ETA: ???. 3 months, if past history is any guide.)

Then: Goodbye C! Goodbye dependencies I don't understand! Hello, true collaboration.

https://github.com/akkartik/mu/blob/d0d0fdb37/subx/Readme.md

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I just wrote up something about the way I tend to program: http://akkartik.name/post/four-repos.

A sort of software-centered usesthis.com.

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In the 12 days since my last update on https://github.com/akkartik/mu/tree/db8a9ab553/subx:

• finished 6/10 primitives for completing phase 2 of the compiler. (Once phase 2 is done I'll be able to compile label-free SubX programs to ELF without needing C.) 2.3k lines, almost 2k of them tests or comments.
• a super elegant workflow for debugging SubX programs. SubX doesn't need an interactive debugger; its trace-based debugging support takes 55 LoC.

More details: https://github.com/akkartik/mu/tree/db8a9ab553/subx#a-few-hints-for-debugging

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"We do not influence the course of events by persuading people that we are right when we make what they regard as radical proposals. Rather, we exert influence by keeping options available when something has to be done at a time of crisis." — Milton Friedman

From http://erights.org via https://github.com/darius/squeam

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Want to get more regular with my status updates here. In the 7 days since my last on https://github.com/akkartik/mu/blob/5a68894ca/subx/Readme.md:

• a simple memory allocator, assuming we rarely free: http://akkartik.github.io/mu/blob/5a68894ca/subx/066allocate.subx
• a sketch of safe pointers for a later compiler of a C-like language: http://akkartik.github.io/mu/blob/5a68894ca/subx/apps/handle.subx
• compiled a fairly small Linux kernel and ran SubX with it on Qemu. Still need to get it booting a real laptop and VPS. Also, /dev/fb0.
• light background for my terminals! And for the above code renderings.

Next up: compiling SubX in SubX. Phase 1 is done: translating text hex bytes into binary http://akkartik.github.io/mu/blob/5a68894ca/subx/apps/hex.subx.html. 1700 lines, but sub 200 lines/instructions excluding tests and comments.

Phase 2: packing operand bitfields into bytes.

Phase 3: translating labels. *That* will be interesting, without a hash table for strings.

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