Carbon (programming language): Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|General-purpose programmingProgramming language designed for interoperability with C++}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=JanuaryJuly 20202022}}

{{Infobox programming language

| name = Carbon

| logo = Carbon logo.png

<!-- logo pending, currently just "🅒"

| logo alt = A dark-gray circle with a white sans-serif letter "C" in the = ... middle

| logo caption = Logo on Carbon's GitHub = Logo caption organization

| logo size = 120px -->| family = [[C (programming language)|C]]

| designer = [[Google]]

| released = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2022|07|19}}

| typing = [[Static type|Static]], [[Nominal type system|nominative]], [[Type inference|partly inferred]]

| developer = [[Google]]

| influenced by = [[C++]], [[Rust (programming language)|Rust]], [[Zig (programming language)|Zig]], [[Haskell (programming language)|Haskell]], [[Kotlin (programming language)|Kotlin]], [[Swift (programming language)|Swift]]<ref name="cppnorthkeynote-video" />

| latest preview version = 0.1

| latest preview date = {{Start date and age|2022|07|19|df=yes}}

| typing = [[Static type|Static]], [[Nominal type system|nominative]], [[Type inference|partially inferred]]

| scope =

| influenced by = [[C++]], [[Rust (programming language)|Rust]]

| programming language = [[C++]]

| license = [[Apache-2.0-with-LLVM-Exception]]

| platform =

| operating system = [[Cross-platform]]

| file ext = <code>.carbon</code>

| website = https://{{URL|github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang}}

}}

'''Carbon''' is an experimental [[programming language]] designed for interoperability with [[C++]].<ref name="readme">{{cite web|title=README|url=https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang/blob/trunk/README.md|quote="It is designed around interoperability with C++ as well as large-scale adoption and migration for existing C++ codebases and developers."|accessdate=2023-09-06}}</ref> The project is [[Open-source software|open-source]] and was started at [[Google]]. Google engineer Chandler Carruth first introduced Carbon at the CppNorth conference in [[Toronto]] in July 2022. He stated that Carbon was created to be a C++ successor.<ref name="cppnorthkeynote-sched" /><ref name="cppnorthkeynote-video" /><ref name="cppnorthkeynote-9to5google" /> The language is expected to have an experimental [[Minimum viable product|MVP]] version 0.1 in late 2026 at the earliest and a production-ready version 1.0 after 2028.<ref>{{Citation |title=Carbon Language: Roadmap |date=2024-01-11 |url=https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang/blob/trunk/docs/project/roadmap.md |publisher=carbon-language |access-date=2024-01-18}}</ref>

'''Carbon''' is an experimental [[general-purpose programming language]] created at [[Google]] to be a "[[C++]] successor language". It was first presented to the public by Chandler Carruth at the CppNorth conference in July of 2022.<ref name="cppnorthkeynote">{{Cite web |date=2022-07-21 |title=CppNorth2022 Keynote |url=https://cppnorth2022.sched.com/event/140f8/keynote-chandler-carruth-nulbscience-experiment-timenulb?linkback=grid |access-date=2022-07-21 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title=Carbon Language: An experimental successor to C++ - Chandler Carruth - CppNorth 2022|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omrY53kbVoA|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bradshaw |first1=Kyle |title=Carbon, a new programming language from Google, aims to be C++ successor |url=https://9to5google.com/2022/07/19/carbon-programming-language-google-cpp/ |work=9to5Google |date=19 July 2022}}</ref> The language intends to fix several perceived shortcomings of C++<ref name="difficulties_improving_cpp">{{Cite web |date=2022-07-21 |title=Difficulties improving C++ |url=https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang/blob/b62b7464a4f99f9101edbe3ea5b76d6cb2cdbc9b/docs/project/difficulties_improving_cpp.md |access-date=2022-07-21 |language=en}}</ref> but otherwise provide a similar feature set. The main goals of the language are readability and "bi-directional interoperability" so there will not be a language barrier like [[Rust (programming language)|Rust]] had. The language will be designed and developed on [[GitHub]]. Similar to the [[C++#Standardization|ISO process]] used by C++, changes to the language will be decided by [[Consensus decision-making|community consensus]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang/blob/trunk/docs/project/evolution.md |title=carbon-lang evolution and governance |date=2022-07-23 |website=GitHub |access-date=2022-07-25}}

</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Google’s Carbon programming language aims to replace C++ |url=https://mybroadband.co.za/news/software/453410-googles-carbon-programming-language-aims-to-replace-c.html |last=Illidge |first=Myles |date=2022-07-21 |access-date=2022-07-24 |work=MyBroadband}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Google Launches Carbon, an Experimental Replacement for C++ |url=https://thenewstack.io/google-launches-carbon-an-experimental-replacement-for-c/ |last=Jackson |first=Joab |date=2022-07-20 |access-date=2022-07-24 |work=The New Stack}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Carbon, A New Programming Language from Google As A C++ Successor |url=https://www.phoneworld.com.pk/carbon-a-new-programming-language-from-google-as-a-c-successor/ |last=Mustafa |first=Onsa |date=2022-07-20 |access-date=2022-07-24 |work=PhoneWorld}}</ref>

The language intends to fix several perceived shortcomings of C++<ref name="difficulties improving cpp" /> but otherwise provides a similar feature set.

The language is developed as a [[Free and open-source software|free and open source]] project under the [[Apache License]] (version 2).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang/blob/31df852738aea520a1a1800259120bc10ce7a005/LICENSE |title=carbon-lang/LICENSE |date=2020-06-16 |access-date=2022-07-24 |website=GitHub}}</ref>

The main goals of the language are readability and "bi-directional interoperability" (which allows the user to include C++ code in the Carbon file), as opposed to using a new language like [[Rust (programming language)|Rust]], that, whilst being influenced by C++, is not two-way compatible with C++ programs. Changes to the language will be decided by the Carbon leads.<ref name="c1" /><ref name="c2" /><ref name="c3" /><ref name="c4" />

Carbon's documents, design, implementation, and related tools are hosted on [[GitHub]] under the [[Apache License|Apache-2.0]] license with [[LLVM]] Exceptions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang/blob/31df852738aea520a1a1800259120bc10ce7a005/LICENSE |title=carbon-lang/LICENSE |date=2020-06-16 |access-date=2022-07-24 |website=GitHub}}</ref>

==Example==

The following shows how a program might be written in Carbon and C++:<ref>{{cite web |title=carbon-lang/docs/images/snippets.md at trunk · carbon-language/carbon-lang |url=https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang/blob/trunk/docs/images/snippets.md |website=GitHub |access-date=16 December 2023 |language=en}}</ref>

{{clear}}

<!--

Part of the Carbon Language project, under the Apache License v2.0 with LLVM

Exceptions. See https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang/blob/9a7b7c2b8be3bcf288d29eb9b7afbf37fb471c1b/LICENSE for license information.

SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0 WITH LLVM-exception

Source: https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang/blob/9a7b7c2b8be3bcf288d29eb9b7afbf37fb471c1b/docs/images/snippets.md

-->

{| class="wikitable"

|-

! Carbon !! C++

|- style=vertical-align:top

| <syntaxhighlight lang="carbon" line="1">

package Geometry;

import Math;

class Circle {

var r: f32;

}

fn PrintTotalArea(circles: Slice(Circle)) {

var area: f32 = 0;

for (c: Circle in circles) {

area += Math.Pi * c.r * c.r;

}

Print("Total area: {0}", area);

}

== Examples ==

=== Hello, world! ===

<syntaxhighlight lang="carbon">

package sample api;

fn Main() -> i32 {

// A dynamically sized array, like `std::vector`.

Print("Hello, world!");

var circles: Array(Circle) = ({.r = 1.0}, {.r = 2.0});

return 0;

// Implicitly converts `Array` to `Slice`.

}</syntaxhighlight>

PrintTotalArea(circles);

return 0;

}

</syntaxhighlight>

| <syntaxhighlight lang="c++" line="1">

#include <vector>

using namespace std;

struct Circle {

float32_t r;

};

void PrintTotalArea(span<Circle> circles)

{

float32_t area = 0;

for (const Circle& c : circles) {

area += numbers::pi * c.r * c.r;

}

print("Total area: {}\n", area);

}

int main() {

vector<Circle> circles{{.r = 1.0}, {.r = 2.0}};

// Implicitly converts `vector` to `span`.

PrintTotalArea(circles);

return 0;

}

</syntaxhighlight>

|}

==See also==

{{Portal|Computer programming}}

* [[Comparison of programming languages]]

* [[Timeline of programming languages]]

* [[C++]]

* [[D (programming language)|D]]

* [[Go (programming language)|Go]]

* [[Rust (programming language)|Rust]]

* [[Mojo (programming language)|Mojo]]

== References ==

{{Reflist|refs=

<references/>

<ref name="cppnorthkeynote-sched">{{Cite web

|url=https://cppnorth2022.sched.com/event/140f8/keynote-chandler-carruth-nulbscience-experiment-timenulb?linkback=grid

|title=Scheduled events for Tuesday, July 19, 09:00 - 10:30

|work=CppNorth, The Canadian C++ Conference, July 17–20, 2022

|publisher=CppNorth

|via=Sched.com

|access-date=2022-07-21

}}</ref>

<ref name="cppnorthkeynote-video">{{Cite web

|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omrY53kbVoA

|title=Carbon Language: An experimental successor to C++ - Chandler Carruth - CppNorth 2022

|publisher=CppNorth

|via=[[YouTube]]

|date=2022-07-22

}}</ref>

<ref name="cppnorthkeynote-9to5google">{{cite web

|url=https://9to5google.com/2022/07/19/carbon-programming-language-google-cpp/

|last1=Bradshaw

|first1=Kyle

|title=Carbon, a new programming language from Google, aims to be C++ successor

|work=9to5Google

|date=19 July 2022

}}</ref>

<ref name="difficulties improving cpp">{{Cite web

|title=Difficulties improving C++

|url=https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang/blob/b62b7464a4f99f9101edbe3ea5b76d6cb2cdbc9b/docs/project/difficulties_improving_cpp.md

|work=carbon-language/carbon-lang repo

|publisher=[[Google]]

|via=[[GitHub]]

|date=2022-07-21

}}</ref>

<ref name="c1">{{cite web

|url=https://github.com/carbon-language/carbon-lang/blob/trunk/docs/project/evolution.md

|first1=Chandler

|last1=Carruth

|first2=Jon

|last2=Ross-Perkins

|first3=Matthew

|last3=Riley

|first4=Sidney

|last4=Hummert

|title=Evolution and governance

|work=carbon-language/carbon-lang repo

|publisher=[[Google]]

|via=[[GitHub]]

|date=23 July 2022

}}</ref>

<ref name="c2">{{Cite web

|url=https://mybroadband.co.za/news/software/453410-googles-carbon-programming-language-aims-to-replace-c.html

|last=Illidge

|first=Myles

|title=Google’s Carbon programming language aims to replace C++

|work=MyBroadband

|date=21 July 2022

}}</ref>

<ref name="c3">{{Cite web

|title=Google Launches Carbon, an Experimental Replacement for C++

|url=https://thenewstack.io/google-launches-carbon-an-experimental-replacement-for-c/

|last=Jackson

|first=Joab

|date=20 July 2022

|work=The New Stack

}}</ref>

<ref name="c4">{{Cite web

|title=Carbon, A New Programming Language from Google As A C++ Successor

|url=https://www.phoneworld.com.pk/carbon-a-new-programming-language-from-google-as-a-c-successor/

|last=Mustafa

|first=Onsa

|date=20 July 2022

|work=PhoneWorld

}}</ref>

}}

== External links ==

* {{GitHub|carbon-language}}

* [https://docs.carbon-lang.dev/ Carbon language documentation]

* [https://carbon.godbolt.org/ Carbon at the Compiler Explorer (godbolt)]

{{Google FOSS}}

{{Google LLC}}

[[Category:Google]]

[[Category:Programming languages]]

[[Category:Statically typed programming languages]]

{{Improve categories|date=July 2022}}

[[Category:Cross-platform software]]

[[Category:Object-oriented programming languages]]

[[Category:Programming languages created in 2022]]

{{Google-stub}}

[[Category:Google software]]

{{compu-lang-stub}}