66 lines
2.0 KiB
Markdown
66 lines
2.0 KiB
Markdown
# Cell
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cell is an actor-based scripting language for building concurrent applications. It combines a familiar JavaScript-like syntax with the actor model of computation.
|
|
|
|
## Key Features
|
|
|
|
- **Actor Model** — isolated memory, message passing, no shared state
|
|
- **Immutability** — `stone()` makes values permanently frozen
|
|
- **Prototype Inheritance** — objects without classes
|
|
- **C Integration** — seamlessly extend with native code
|
|
- **Cross-Platform** — deploy to desktop, web, and embedded
|
|
|
|
## Quick Start
|
|
|
|
```javascript
|
|
// hello.ce - A simple actor
|
|
log.console("Hello, Cell!")
|
|
$stop()
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
cell hello
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
## Documentation
|
|
|
|
- [**Cell Language**](cellscript.md) — syntax, types, and built-in functions
|
|
- [**Actors and Modules**](actors.md) — the execution model
|
|
- [**Packages**](packages.md) — code organization and sharing
|
|
- [**Command Line**](cli.md) — the `cell` tool
|
|
- [**Writing C Modules**](c-modules.md) — native extensions
|
|
|
|
## Standard Library
|
|
|
|
- [text](library/text.md) — string manipulation
|
|
- [number](library/number.md) — numeric operations
|
|
- [array](library/array.md) — array utilities
|
|
- [object](library/object.md) — object utilities
|
|
- [blob](library/blob.md) — binary data
|
|
- [time](library/time.md) — time and dates
|
|
- [math](library/math.md) — trigonometry and math
|
|
- [json](library/json.md) — JSON encoding/decoding
|
|
- [random](library/random.md) — random numbers
|
|
|
|
## Architecture
|
|
|
|
Cell programs are organized into **packages**. Each package contains:
|
|
|
|
- **Modules** (`.cm`) — return a value, cached and frozen
|
|
- **Actors** (`.ce`) — run independently, communicate via messages
|
|
- **C files** (`.c`) — compiled to native libraries
|
|
|
|
Actors never share memory. They communicate by sending messages, which are automatically serialized. This makes concurrent programming safe and predictable.
|
|
|
|
## Installation
|
|
|
|
```bash
|
|
# Clone and bootstrap
|
|
git clone https://gitea.pockle.world/john/cell
|
|
cd cell
|
|
make bootstrap
|
|
```
|
|
|
|
The Cell shop is stored at `~/.cell/`. |