this post was submitted on 21 May 2024

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Programming

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Amber - the programming language compiled to Bash (amber-lang.com)

submitted 2 years ago by otter@lemmy.ca to c/programming@programming.dev

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[–] einlander@lemmy.world 39 points 2 years ago

Whoa Black Betty, Amber-Lang.

[–] VubDapple@lemmy.world 30 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Why?

[–] otter@lemmy.ca 26 points 2 years ago (2 children)

I think it's to make it easier to write bash scripts, for those who are new or when the script is doing a more critical task

Modern Syntax

You will find many of the language features familiar, allowing you to get up and running much faster than if you were learning Bash from scratch.

Runtime Safety

It’s one of the key components missing from regular shell scripts. It can help you catch many bugs at compile time.

Type Safety

Amber ensures that you handle everything that could fail. Each Bash command and function that could fail must be handled in some way.

[–] VubDapple@lemmy.world 9 points 2 years ago

Ok, I guess that makes sense. Bash is a pretty old school language for those raised in the functional programming era

[–] thebardingreen@lemmy.starlightkel.xyz 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

So if you're already pretty good at bash would you bother to switch and learn this?

[–] vext01@lemmy.sdf.org 30 points 2 years ago

Never heard of this language, but you'd be surprised how hard it is to write a correct and portable shell script.

Personally, I'd break out python once the script gets larger than a few lines, or rust if I want something more proper.

[–] deathmetal27@lemmy.world 24 points 2 years ago

So basically the TypeScript of bash.

[–] key@lemmy.keychat.org 16 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I love the concept. I hate many of the language design choices.

[+] Scolding7300@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

[deleted]

[–] towerful@programming.dev 8 points 2 years ago (1 children)

For me, after looking over the docs, it's close enough to JavaScript that it might as well adopt more of the syntax (for example, conditionals and loops don't use parenthesis). It also has some similarities to python, but again not enough to be python.

Feels like an in-between language that has enough similarities to seem easy, but some gotchas that will regularly catch you out.
And then some extra features like the if chaining, which doesn't have the keyword if or switch in it. So you have to know that that structure implies an if or switch conditional.

Especially for something like bash scripting, which devs probably don't spend as much time doing compared to python or js. So, it would probably take them longer (and break their brain more) than just scripting it in python/js directly or dealing with bash directly.

It's an improvement over bash, and it's nice that it transpiles to bash.
I might have to play around with it and see how it actually feels to use

[–] DeprecatedCompatV2@programming.dev 3 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

I found the if-blocks more concerning than the lack of parentheses. Although I would've preferred parentheses for better parity with Kotlin for the if-else blocks (instead of then).

[–] wargreymon2023@sopuli.xyz 10 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Don't like it one bit

If bash is hard to program, get away with it, not build atop of it.

[–] laughterlaughter@lemmy.world 0 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I like the concept...

[–] wargreymon2023@sopuli.xyz -2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

okay but the author has to write it, why not write something useful open source?

[–] furikuri@programming.dev 3 points 2 years ago

For fun or to play around with transpilers?

[–] Unpigged@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 2 years ago (1 children)

There's babashka, why?

[–] MachineFab812@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

We need a way to watch for replies to comments without commenting ourselves... (not an answer to your question, sorry)

[–] Unpigged@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

I mean, my comment isn't really meaningful either so, touche, Internet stranger.

[–] MachineFab812@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 2 years ago

No, I meant I was following your comment, as I am interested in the answer to your question.

[–] thingsiplay@beehaw.org 3 points 2 years ago

Was posted a few hours before and has many comments: https://beehaw.org/post/13943043

[–] aluminium@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

I mean if you want a shell language that behaves more like a regular programming language, PowerShell core is a thing.

[–] smileyhead@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 2 years ago

When JavaScript developer starts writing a Linux script.