Hecl 20060624

The Hecl Programming Language is a high-level, open source scripting language implemented in Java. It is intended to be small, extensible, extremely flexible, and easy to learn and use. Infact, its small enough that it runs on J2ME-enabled cell phones!

Why Hecl? Hecl is intended as a complement to the Java programming language, not a replacement. As such, it tries to do well what Java doesnt, and leaves those tasks to Java for which it is best suited. Hecl aims to be a very immediate language - you can pick it up and start doing useful things with it quickly. It is also meant to be easy to learn. Where Java is verbose and rigid, Hecl is forgiving and quick to write. For instance, System.out.println("Hello World"); vs puts "Hello World" - 41 keystrokes (shifted letters count double) versus 22. Hecl is built to "scale down".

This makes Hecl ideal for large applications written in Java that would like to provide a user friendly scripting interface, rather than, say, a clunky XML based configuration system. Examples include: scripted web pages, command/control logic in long running applications, and, Im sure, many environments Ive never considered.

Hecl is also a small language with a minimal core. The idea is to provide only whats necessary in the language itself, and as needed, add in extensions for specific tasks. Core Hecl is small enough to run on my Nokia 3100 cell phone as a J2ME application, presenting the interesting possibility of writing scripts, or at some point, maybe even scripting entire applications, for devices running embedded Java.