Wave

Pure Systems Programming Language

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What is Wave? Wave is a pure systems programming language designed for ultimate low-level control. Unlike other languages, Wave has zero builtin functions - giving you complete control over your program's behavior. Wave operates in two distinct modes: Low-level Mode (Default): Pure compiler with no standard library - perfect for kernel development, embedded systems, and bare-metal programming High-level Mode (with Vex): Full standard library ecosystem via the Vex package manager

// Pure Wave: No builtin functions fun main() { // Direct system calls only asm { "mov rax, 1" "mov rdi, 1" "syscall" } }

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⚠️ Development Status
Wave is in active development. The compiler is functional but many features are still being implemented. See our roadmap for current progress.

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🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• LLVM 14+
• Linux(Debian etc.) (Windows/macOS support coming soon)

Install Command (curl)

curl -fsSL https://wave-lang.dev/install.sh | bash -s -- latest

Your First Wave Program

# Create a simple program
echo 'fun main() { }' > hello.wave

# Compile in low-level mode (no standard library)
wavec build hello.wave

# Or compile with Vex integration (when available)
wavec build hello.wave --with-vex

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✨ Design Philosophy

🔥 Zero Overhead Absolutely no builtin functions or runtime. What you write is what you get - pure machine code with no hidden costs or surprises.

🎯 Dual Mode Choose your abstraction level: raw system calls for maximum control, or rich standard library through Vex package manager.

⚡ Modern Tooling Rust-style error messages, advanced CLI, and seamless integration with the upcoming Vex ecosystem.

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📚 Documentation & CLI

Command Reference

# Display help
wavec help

# Compile a Wave program
wavec build <file> [options]

# Run a Wave program directly
wavec run <file>

# Build options
wavec build program.wave -o output    # Specify output file
wavec build program.wave --debug      # Enable debug mode  
wavec build program.wave -O2          # Optimization level
wavec build program.wave --with-vex   # Enable Vex integration

Error Messages

Wave provides Rust-style error messages to help you debug quickly:

error: standard library module 'std::iosys' requires Vex package manager
  --> program.wave:1:8
   |
1  | import("std::iosys");
   |        ^^^^^^^^^^^^
   |
   = help: Wave compiler in standalone mode only supports low-level system programming
   = suggestion: Use 'vex build' or 'vex run' to access standard library modules

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🤝 Contributing

Wave is an open-source project and we welcome contributions! Whether you're fixing bugs, adding features, improving documentation, or sharing feedback, every contribution matters.

🛠️ Development Ready to contribute code? Check out our contributing guidelines and development setup.

💬 Community Join our Discord community to discuss features, get help, and connect with other Wave developers.

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💡 Code Examples

Low-level System Programming

// Bare-metal: Direct system calls only
fun main() {
    asm {
        "mov ah, 0x0e"
        "mov al, 0x48"
        "int 0x10"
    }
}

High-level with Vex (Future)

import("std::iosys");

fun fibonacci(n: i32) -> i32 {
    if (n <= 1) {
        return n;
    }
    return fibonacci(n - 1) + fibonacci(n - 2);
}

fun main() {
    var i: i32 = 0;
    while (i <= 10) {
        println("fibonacci({}) = {}", i, fibonacci(i));
        i += 1;
    }
}

Memory Management

fun main() {
    var a: i32 = 42;
    var b: i32 = 84;
    
    // Direct pointer manipulation
    var ptr_a: ptr<i32> = &a;
    var ptr_b: ptr<i32> = &b;
    
    // Swap values through pointers
    var temp: i32 = deref ptr_a;
    deref ptr_a = deref ptr_b;
    deref ptr_b = temp;
    
    // a is now 84, b is now 42
}

📁 More examples in the repository

Explore the test/ directory for more examples:

• Basic syntax: Variables, functions, control flow
• Pointers & Memory: Direct memory manipulation
• System calls: Low-level OS interaction
• Module system: Import and organization
• Inline assembly: Hardware-level programming

🗺️ Roadmap

Wave is actively developed with a clear roadmap:

• Core Compiler - Basic Wave language compilation to LLVM
• Dual Mode Architecture - Low-level and high-level compilation modes
• Advanced Error Handling - Rust-style diagnostic messages
• CLI Interface - Modern command-line experience
• Vex Package Manager - Standard library and package ecosystem
• For Loop Implementation - Complete control flow structures
• Advanced Type System - Enhanced safety and ergonomics
• Cross-platform Support - Windows, macOS, Linux
• IDE Integration - Language server and tooling
• Standard Library - Core functionality via Vex

See our GitHub Projects for detailed progress tracking.

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📄 License & Attribution

Wave is released under the LSD License.

Core Contributors

• @LunaStev - Creator and Lead Developer

Acknowledgments

• LLVM Project(Temporary) - Code generation backend
• Rust Community - Inspiration for tooling and error messages
• Systems Programming Community - Feedback and requirements

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Built with ❤️ by the Wave community
_{© 2024 Wave Programming Language • LSD License}