Hiii HN, I’m Smart and I’ve been working on some interesting projects, a few weeks or months ago i launched a programming language in the programming language communities on discord and telegram, I meant to do so on HN too but the reaction from the members was overwhelming so it skipped my mind to drop it on here.
We’ve built a lot since that time and we’re currently working on a new browser engine (zero chromium) and I wanted to post about it on here too but firstly I want to share the new programming language called Zeron, created at the intersection of Python’s high level power and Zig’s systems memory safety.
Zeron is a new programming language forged from Python and Zig, for the next web layer and new generation of Systems & Protocols.
Why merge these two?
Performance + Productivity: python devs hit walls when scaling to systems level problems, zig removes those walls but it’s less accessible, Zeron brings both in one flow.
Hybrid Execution: Write in Zeron like you’d write in python but under the hood it compiles with Zig like optimizations.
Python gave us readability, simplicity and mass adoption but it struggles with performance at scale and deep systems level control, python is interpreted rather than compiled, making it slower than C, C++ or Rust for computationally intensive tasks.
Zig gave us uncompromising performance, safety and bare metal precision but it lacks the expressive ergonomics that make Python so widely loved, Also Zig is still pre-1.0 and breaking changes occur very often which makes it risky for production systems.
Zeron is an attempt to fuse the two: a language as expressive and accessible as Python but as close to the metal and performant as Zig.
Core Vision:
Hybrid Syntax, Zeron retains Python like readability while offering Zig inspired constructs for memory safety, concurrency and systems level programming.
Native Interop, Direct interoperability with both Python and Zig ecosystems, You don’t have to “leave behind” what you already use.
For the new Internet Stack: Zeron isn’t just a language in isolation, it’s being built as the foundation of a new runtime, AI shell, browser and protocol layer, Think..secure DNS root, distributed execution, verifiable and encrypted messaging and crypto economic primitives all baked into the core, the browser is our test bed it’s where all the magic happens.
Performance Meets Accessibility, Unlike most "academic" languages, Zeron is being built with real world adoption in mind from education (where it should be easy to teach), to research (where it can model new systems), to production grade infrastructure.
Why Now?
Historically compilers has had a tough time converting readable instructions into optimized machine code, the syntax needed to be super tight and memory management has always been a tough subject to face, Also the languages we rely on were designed for past problems but systems and the internet is evolving into a protocol galaxy: distributed ledgers, secure enclaves, privacy preserving apps, verifiable computation, AI/LLMs running locally.
Zeron is my attempt to build a codex where AI is ubiquitous, grow and evolve with the system layer by layer.
TL;DR:
Python + Zig = Zeron
Readability meets raw performance, not just a language but a foundation for a new chain, OS and protocol layer
The link to the Notion Doc explaining the architecture, core, philosophy, use case and implementation of the language.
http://bit.ly/3JqJjNE
I’ll love feedback from systems hackers, language, OS designers and protocol builders, This is still early and in stealth mode but the vision is interesting, a language that isn’t just a tool but the seed of a new programming galaxy.
Codex, whitepaper and browser dropping soon.
