Transitioning to Rust for Compiler Rewriting

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The chapter explores the decision to shift from Erlang to Rust for rewriting the compiler, citing reasons such as the need for algebraic data types and static typing. It discusses the advantages of Rust, including enhanced tooling and productivity, and also raises concerns about evolving away from the intermediate format for compiling, noting a lack of documentation. The conversation extends to using GLEAM for writing compilers, focusing on business applications, games, financial support for working on GLEAM full-time, and developing tools like a web app for package searching and HTML to Gleam code conversion.

This week we’re joined by Louis Pilfold, the creator of the Gleam programming language. For the uninitiated, Gleam is a functional programming language for building type-safe systems that compiles to Erlang and JavaScript and it’s written in Rust. We discuss the inspiration and development of Gleam, how it compares to other languages, where it shines, the overwhelming amount of support Louis is getting through GitHub sponsors, what’s next for Gleam and their near-term plans for a language server.

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