The Weirdest Things About the Raku Programming Language

Raku, formerly known as Perl 6, is a programming language that has been in development since 2000. It's a successor to the Perl language, but it's not just an incremental update. Raku is a radical departure from its predecessor, with a new syntax, new features, and a new philosophy. As a result, Raku has some truly unique and weird features that set it apart from other programming languages.

The Syntax is... Unconventional

Raku's syntax is unlike anything you've seen before. It's a bit like a fusion of Perl, Python, and Lisp, with a dash of madness thrown in. For example, Raku has a concept called "sigils" which are special characters that indicate the type of a variable. The @ symbol is used for arrays, the % symbol is used for hashes, and the & symbol is used for subroutines. But that's not all - Raku also has a concept called "twigils" which are sigils that are used to indicate the scope of a variable. Yes, you read that right - twigils.

It's a Language That's Designed to be Extensible

Raku is designed to be extensible, which means that you can add new features to the language itself. This is achieved through a system called "macros" which allow you to define new syntax and semantics for the language. It's a bit like having a built-in Lisp macro system, but without the need to learn Lisp. Macros are a powerful tool that allow you to create domain-specific languages (DSLs) within Raku, which can be used to solve specific problems.

It Has a Built-in Grammar System

Raku has a built-in grammar system that allows you to define the syntax of your program using a grammar. This is similar to how you would define a grammar for a natural language, but for a programming language. The grammar system is used to parse the source code and generate an abstract syntax tree (AST) that can be used for further processing. This allows you to create custom syntax and semantics for your program, and even to create new languages within Raku.

It's a Language That's Designed to be Fun

Raku is a language that's designed to be fun to use. It has a lot of features that are designed to make programming more enjoyable, such as a built-in say function that prints its argument to the console, and a perl function that allows you to execute Perl code within Raku. It's a language that's designed to be playful and creative, and it shows in the way it's designed.

It Has a Strong Focus on Concurrency

Raku has a strong focus on concurrency, which means that it's designed to take advantage of multiple CPU cores. This is achieved through a system called "async/await" which allows you to write asynchronous code that's easy to read and maintain. Raku also has a built-in Channel type that allows you to communicate between threads, and a Supply type that allows you to create asynchronous data streams.

It's a Language That's Still Evolving

Raku is a language that's still evolving, and it's not yet fully stable. This means that the language is still changing, and new features are being added all the time. This can be both a blessing and a curse, as it means that you'll need to keep up with the latest changes to the language. However, it also means that you'll have a say in the direction of the language, and you can contribute to its development.

Raku is a language that's truly unique, and it's not like anything you've seen before. It's a language that's designed to be fun, extensible, and concurrent, and it has a lot of features that set it apart from other programming languages. If you're looking for a new language to learn, Raku is definitely worth checking out.