Adir Van Rentals Orlando

Boo ... the ghost of Python. System Rescue

Boo Have you seen?

Many will know that I am not a big fan of Python. Among the things I dislike are the slow implementation and lack of verification calls to static methods.

Well, I learned that I am not alone - that was evident in reality :-), and there is a community of developers who have created a new language based on Python but linked to. NET (or Mono, as desired say.) This is

Boo, and you can use it to develop programs seriously, for example using Mono on Linux.

An example:

 
 import Gtk from 'gtk-sharp "
 def 
 pres (): 
 print" Hello "def 
 
 exit (): print 
" Chao! " 
 Application.Quit () 
 
 Gtk.Application.Init () w = gtk.Window 
 ("Example") 
 b = gtk.Button ("Presioname) 
 w.Add (b) 
 w.BorderWidth = 10 
 b.Clicked + = + = pres 
 w.DeleteEvent 
 out w.ShowAll () 
 
 Gtk.Application.Run () 
 

To run the example, can use the shell directly Boo: 'Booi ejemplo.boo' , or can not be compiled: 'BOOC ejemplo.boo' , which generates an executable. NET 'ejemplo.exe'

An example session is:

 
 ~ / devel / dotnet / boo / examples $ BOOC example.boo 
 ~ / devel / dotnet / boo / examples $. / example.exe 
 
 Chao Hello! 
 ~ / devel / dotnet / boo / examples $ 
 

As you see, is similar to Python using pygtk, but I think a lot simpler.

The same code in Python would be:

 
 
 import gtk from gtk import * def 
 
 pres (o): 
 print "Hello" 
 
 def output (a, b): 
 print "Chao!" 
 gtk.main_quit () 
 
 w = Window () 
 w.set_title ("Example") 
 b = Button ("Presioname) 
 w.add (b) 
 w.set_border_width (10) 
 b.connect ('clicked', pres) 
 w.connect ('delete_event', out) 
 w.show_all () 
 gtk.main () 
 

Besides the fact that I prefer BorderWidth = 10 to set_border_width (10) , Boo has many other things I like:

• have verification of types, type inference to avoid unnecessary declarations. However, if you like, you can use untyped variables for specific things.


• uses "early binding", this means calls to methods are sought in compile time (and then during the JIT), not during execution. This is only possible thanks to the former.


• When compiled CIL code uses the same technology that implementing JIT. NET to run, making it a language quickly.

Finally, there is already a plugin for using MonoDevelop Boo develop, which means that the integrated debugger, the suggestion of code and template generation works. And more over, the generated code is cross-platform (if using gtk #, obviously).

If someone wants help to install on Linux using Mono ask.