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FAWK: LLMs can write a language interpreter

(martin.janiczek.cz)
207 points todsacerdoti | 3 comments | 21 Nov 25 10:28 UTC | HN request time: 0s | source
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keepamovin ◴[21 Nov 25 11:09 UTC] No.46003360[source]▶
Yes! I'm currently using copilot + antigravity to implement a language with ergonomic syntax and semantics that lowers cleanly to machine code targeting multiple platforms, with a focus on safety, determinism, auditability and fail-fast bugs. It's more work than I thought but the LLMs are very capable.

I was dreaming of a JS to machine code, but then thought, why not just start from scratch and have what I want? It's a lot of fun.

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lionkor ◴[21 Nov 25 11:37 UTC] No.46003545[source]▶
Curious why you do this with AI instead of just writing it yourself?

You should be able to whip up a Lexer, Parser and compiler with a couple weeks of time.

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My_Name ◴[21 Nov 25 12:08 UTC] No.46003757[source]▶
Because he did it in a day, not a few weeks.

If I want to go from Bristol to Swindon, I could walk there in about 12 hours. It's totally possible to do it by foot. Or I could use a car and be there in an hour. There and back, with a full work day in-between done, in a day. Using the tool doesn't change what you can do, it speeds up getting the end result.

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1. bgwalter ◴[21 Nov 25 12:15 UTC] No.46003794[source]▶
There is no end result. It's a toy language based on a couple of examples without a grammar where apparently the LLM used its standard (plagiarized) parser/lexer code and reiterated until the examples passed.

Automating one of the fun parts of CS is just weird.

So with this awesome "productivity" we now can have 10,000 new toy languages per day on GitHub instead of just 100?

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2. TeodorDyakov ◴[21 Nov 25 12:21 UTC] No.46003836[source]▶
That was exactly my thought. Why automate the coding part to create something that will be used for coding (and in itself can be automated , going buy the same logic)? This makes zero sense.
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3. fragmede ◴[21 Nov 25 15:50 UTC] No.46005608[source]▶
Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention, TeodorDyakov and bgwalter. I am a member of the fun police, and I have placed keepamovin, and accomplice, My_Name under arrest, pending trial, for having fun wrong. If convicted, thet each face a 5 year sentence to a joyless marriage for healthcare without possiblity of time off for boring behavior. We take these matters pretty seriously, as crimes of this nature could lead to a bubble collapse, and the economy can't take that (or a joke), so good work there!