Ring: A Lightweight and Versatile Cross-Platform Dynamic Programming Language Developed Using Visual Programming

Abstract

New programming languages are often designed to keep up with technological advancements and project requirements while also learning from previous attempts and introducing more powerful expression mechanisms. However, most existing dynamic programming languages rely on English keywords and lack features that facilitate easy translation of language syntax. Additionally, maintaining multiple implementations of the same language for different platforms, such as desktops and microcontrollers, can lead to inconsistencies and fragmented features. Furthermore, they usually do not use visual programming to fully implement the compiler and virtual machine. In this research paper, we introduce Ring—a dynamically-typed language with a lightweight implementation. However, it boasts several advantages, including a rich and versatile standard library and direct support for classes and object-oriented programming. The Ring language offers customization features. For instance, it allows easy modification of the language syntax multiple times, enabling programming by writing code using Arabic, English, or other keywords. Additionally, the language permits the creation of domain-specific languages through new features that extend object-oriented programming, allowing for specialized languages resembling CSS or Supernova. In the era of the Internet of Things, instead of creating another language implementation to support microcontrollers, the same Ring implementation allows us to create projects and applications for desktops, the web, WebAssembly, Android, or Raspberry Pi Pico. The Ring Compiler and Virtual Machine are designed using the PWCT Visual Programming language based on ANSI C. The visual implementation is composed of 18,945 components that generate 24,743 lines of code, which increases the abstraction level by approximately 23.5% and hides unnecessary details.