Design

The design of the language is a fun, imaginative step where we get to figure out how Flavor will look like and what will be the implications. I feel that in this step we are doing an exercise of creativity, software engineering, and problem solving.

Introduction to the Design Phase

Having already explored the fundamentals of language development — including syntax, semantics, parsing techniques, type systems, and other — we are now ready to turn our attention to the design phase. This phase is where the theoretical meets the practical: where the abstract concepts and principles previously discussed come together to shape the unique identity of Flavor.

Designing a programming language is both an art and a science. It requires balancing competing goals such as expressiveness, simplicity, performance, and usability.
Every design choice ripples through the language, affecting how users write code, how the compiler or interpreter processes it, and ultimately, how effective the language is at solving real-world problems. But no pressure.

In this section, we will expore the key design decisions that define Flavor. We will examine the rationale behind choosing specific language features, syntax styles, and semantic rules. Many of these decisions will reference concepts covered earlier in the book, such as:

• How the syntax and grammar influence both the language’s readability and the complexity of the parser.
• The impact of the type system on safety, flexibility, and developer experience.
• Trade-offs in memory management strategies and how they affect performance and ease of use.
• Approaches to error handling that balance robustness with clear, actionable feedback for programmers.
• The paradigms and programming models that Flavor embraces, informed by our discussion on language paradigms.

Throughout this phase, we encourage a mindset of exploration and iteration. Language design, I find, is rarely linear or final on the first try. Instead, it evolves through experimentation, feedback, and reflection. By understanding the reasoning behind each choice, contributors and users alike will gain insight into the language’s goals and how they shape its implementation.

As we progress, you will see how these design decisions map directly to the codebase covered in the Implementation section, creating a cohesive narrative from concept to concrete realization.