Wookash Podcast Jonathan Blow on his programming language jai and upcoming game(s)!
Jan 18, 2025
Jonathan Blow, the innovative mind behind Braid and The Witness, dives into his new programming language, Jai. He details the complexities of its macro system and how it aims to improve programmer joy. Jonathan shares his insights on the transition from closed to open-source development, and the challenges of game design, particularly in a virtual reality context. He reflects on indie game culture and the impact of online criticism on creators, emphasizing the importance of fostering positive experiences in gaming.
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Build Process Criticism
- Modern programming languages should minimize reliance on external build systems.
- Jonathan Blow criticizes the C/C++ build process for involving multiple languages and OS-specific configurations.
Programs as Mathematical Objects
- Programs should be treated as well-defined mathematical objects.
- Blow emphasizes that a program's meaning shouldn't change based on the operating system.
C Macro Debugging Issues
- C macros' string replacement can lead to debugging nightmares due to variable shadowing.
- Blow recounts experiences with C macros breaking due to unexpected variable shadowing.
