Ich sprach: Was soll das Wort mir frommen?
– Friedrich von Bodenstedt: Die Lieder des Mirza-Schaffy
Der Weise muß zu den Toren gehn,
Sonst würde die Weisheit verlorengehn,
Da Toren nie zum Weisen kommen.
simplicity
Some believe that adding features improves a language.
This is not a language for those.
In a world in which languages add features
until they collapse under their own weight,
build a language that is content with itself.
consistency
.selects=assigns:ascribes@annotates()encloses terms[]encloses types
readability
The language is designed to be read from the left to the right,
minimizing the frequency in which a reader has to backtrack.
Precedence levels are kept to a minimum.
Every definition starts with a keyword, such that code that follows is immediately understandable.
compatibility
Spend the engineering effort to make the language amenable for change,
instead of making ossification a forgone conclusion.
The least painful time for a breaking change is now.
performance
The language is designed to allow an implementation that is fast and efficient.
There are no language features that introduce a slow-path.