Created by Hubert Tonneau, the Pliant programming language has been described as the first attempt to connect the C and Lisp branches of programming languages.
Developed in the late 1990s as a personal project, Tonneau describes his programming language as a superset of C, in that any program written in C can be translated line by line to Pliant, even when the syntax differs. On the other hand, it is not a superset of C++ because its object model differs, being instance-based rather than class-based.
Pliant incorporates ideas from several programming languages, but its distinguishing feature is meta-programming, which is the ability to read, generate, analyze, and even modify itself while running, which is accomplished through a code generator.
Pliant includes a dynamic compiler, which doesn't require linking, compiles on the fly, and can interface with C libraries. Each module of a Pliant program is compiled at startup time. It executes from the source code and can provide an "eval" instruction in a manner similar to an interpreter, giving it the feel of an interpreted language, while running programs at raw speed like a compiler.
It runs on Linux, POSIX, and Windows, or as a standalone operating system on top of a Linux kernel, known as FullPliant. A FullPliant OS installation includes a Linux kernel, a set of executables and libraries from, and the Pliant programming language.
Pliant is copyrighted by the author, Hubert Tonneau, but is available under the GNU Public License v2. The language is actively maintained and under development by the author, and others.
The focus of this category is on the programming language known as Pliant. Any editors, compilers, IDEs, dialects, or close implementations of the language are appropriate for this category, as are Pliant user groups, forums, tutorials, or guides.
Recommended Resources
Hypervolume is an online platform designed to enable the hosting of a project or business created through the Pliant programming language, as created by Hubert Tonneau. Featured projects are highlighted on the index page of the site, including a link to the project site. A brief description of the language, including its features, are posted to the site, including links to the official Full Pliant website, as well as the GitHub site where language files may be downloaded.
http://hypervolume.com/
Pliant Language and FullPliant Operating System
Originally released in 1999, the Pliant programming language has evolved to become a full development and operating system known as FullPliant, a complete system written entirely in Pliant, and which relies on very little code, except for a Linux kernel, and includes installation and administration tools, various servers, and the Pliant dynamic compiler. A history of the language and system are given, along with documentation, development notes, and a download link, including source.
http://www.fullpliant.org/
Pliant is a dynamic compiler and integrated multi-server (web, mail, database), developed by Patrice Ossona de Mendez for use in a Linux platform. The compiler is used in the Pliant programming language, which is modular, reflexive, and dynamically-compiled, much like a merging of typed Lisp and C, supporting Linux, POSIX, and Windows platforms, or as a standalone operating system on top of a Linux kernel. The compiler may be downloaded under a General Public License.
https://www.softpile.com/pliant/
SourceForge: Pliant + SDL & PliGame
The purpose of this project was to use the Pliant programming language and the SDL (Simple DirectMedia Layer) library to produce a game-making product known as PliGame. As part of the project, PliGame was used to produce a demo Astroid game that runs in Linux. Pliant + SDL is a set of modules that wrap the SDL library functions for use in Pliant programs but requiring some knowledge of Pliant and C code. Documentation and links to where PliGame can be downloaded are included.
http://pligame.sourceforge.net/
