SixtyPical ========== _Version 0.19. Work-in-progress, everything is subject to change._ **SixtyPical** is a [very low-level](#very-low-level) programming language supporting a [sophisticated static analysis](#sophisticated-static-analysis). Its reference compiler can generate [efficient code](#efficient-code) for [several 6502-based platforms](#target-platforms) while catching many common mistakes at compile-time, reducing the time spent in debugging. Quick Start ----------- Make sure you have Python (2.7 or 3.5+) installed. Then clone this repository and put its `bin` directory on your executable search path. Then run: sixtypical If you have the [VICE][] emulator installed, you can run ./loadngo.sh c64 eg/c64/hearts.60p and it will compile the [hearts.60p source code](eg/c64/hearts.60p) and automatically start it in the `x64` emulator, and you should see: ![Screenshot of result of running hearts.60p](images/hearts.png?raw=true) You can try the `loadngo.sh` script on other sources in the `eg` directory tree, which contains more extensive examples, including an entire game(-like program); see [eg/README.md](eg/README.md) for a listing. Features -------- SixtyPical aims to fill this niche: * You'd use assembly, but you don't want to spend hours debugging (say) a memory overrun that happened because of a ridiculous silly error. * You'd use C or some other "high-level" language, but you don't want the extra overhead added by the compiler to manage the stack and registers. SixtyPical gives the programmer a coding regimen on par with assembly language in terms of size and hands-on-ness, but also able to catch many ridiculous silly errors at compile time. ### Very low level Many of SixtyPical's primitive instructions resemble those of the 6502 CPU — in fact it is intended to be compiled to 6502 machine code — but along with these instructions are constructs which ease structuring and analyzing the code. However, SixtyPical also does provide some "higher-level" operations based on common 8-bit machine-language programming idioms, including * copying values from one register to another (via a third register when there are no underlying instructions that directly support it) * copying, adding, and comparing 16-bit values (done in two steps) * explicit tail calls * indirect subroutine calls While a programmer will find these constructs convenient, their inclusion in the language is primarily to make programs easier to analyze. ### Sophisticated static analysis The language defines an [effect system][], and the reference compiler [abstractly interprets][] the input program to check that it conforms to it. It can detect common mistakes such as * you forgot to clear carry before adding something to the accumulator * a subroutine that you called trashes a register you thought it preserved * you tried to read or write a byte beyond the end of a byte array * you tried to write the address of something that was not a routine, to a jump vector ### Efficient code Unlike most languages, in SixtyPical the programmer must manage memory very explicitly, selecting the registers and memory locations to store all data in. So, unlike a C compiler such as [cc65][], a SixtyPical compiler doesn't need to generate code to handle stack management or register spilling. This results in smaller (and thus faster) programs. The flagship demo, a minigame for the Commodore 64, compiles to a **930**-byte `.PRG` file. ### Target platforms The reference implementation can analyze and compile SixtyPical programs to 6502 machine code formats which can run on several 6502-based 8-bit architectures: * [Commodore 64][] -- examples in [eg/c64/](eg/c64/) * [Commodore VIC-20][] -- examples in [eg/vic20/](eg/vic20/) * [Atari 2600][] -- examples in [eg/atari2600/](eg/atari2600/) * [Apple II series][] -- examples in [eg/apple2/](eg/apple2/) Documentation ------------- SixtyPical is defined by a specification document, a set of test cases, and a reference implementation written in Python. * [Design Goals](doc/Design%20Goals.md) * [SixtyPical specification](doc/SixtyPical.md) * [SixtyPical revision history](HISTORY.md) * [Literate test suite for SixtyPical syntax](tests/SixtyPical%20Syntax.md) * [Literate test suite for SixtyPical analysis](tests/SixtyPical%20Analysis.md) * [Literate test suite for SixtyPical compilation](tests/SixtyPical%20Compilation.md) * [Literate test suite for SixtyPical fallthru optimization](tests/SixtyPical%20Fallthru.md) * [6502 Opcodes used/not used in SixtyPical](doc/6502%20Opcodes.md) * [Output formats supported by `sixtypical`](doc/Output%20Formats.md) * [TODO](TODO.md) [VICE]: http://vice-emu.sourceforge.net/ [cc65]: https://cc65.github.io/ [Commodore 64]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64 [Commodore VIC-20]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_VIC-20 [Atari 2600]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atari_2600 [Apple II series]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II_series