Louis Pilfold, Creator of the Gleam programming language, discusses the language's 1.0 release, backwards compatibility, hot-swapping code in production, and implementing a typed version of Erlang's OTP system. Emphasizes challenges of versioning, dependency management, and balancing productivity in software development.
Gleam 1.0 release focused on setting requirements and managing breaking changes to ensure readiness.
Stability and backwards compatibility are crucial in Gleam, with a balance between upgrades and maintaining compatibility.
Proper versioning practices in package ecosystems like L are essential for effective version control and compatibility criteria.
Centralized package indexing and hash validation enhance security in package management, emphasizing content-addressable hashing for reliability.
Deep dives
GLEAM 1.0 Release and Decision-Making Process
The podcast discusses the milestone achievement of the GLEAM programming language reaching version 1.0. The creator of GLEAM talks about the decision-making process behind determining when the language was ready for this release. One key aspect was the importance of setting requirements and ensuring that breaking changes were properly implemented. Additionally, the discussion delves into the significance of community encouragement and the balance between version upgrades and maintaining backwards compatibility.
Version Stability and Backwards Compatibility
The conversation explores the concept of version stability and backwards compatibility within programming languages. Comparisons are drawn with other languages like Rust in terms of committing to maintaining backwards compatibility. The guest shares thoughts on GLEAM's approach to stability, emphasizing the focus on preventing program breaks and the challenges of defining what constitutes a breaking change.
Semantic Versioning and Package Management
The episode delves into the importance of semantic versioning and proper package management in software development. Examples from the L package ecosystem are discussed, highlighting the criteria for major version updates based on compatibility. The conversation touches on the significance of effective version controls and maintaining proper versioning practices in package ecosystems.
Centralized Package Indexing and Hash Validation
Centralized package indexing and hash validation are explored as key elements in ensuring secure and reliable package management systems. The discussion addresses the challenges of decentralized systems and highlights the benefits of content-addressable hashing for security. Considerations for minimizing costs and promoting resilience in centralized repositories are also discussed.
Safe Scripting and Security in Software Development
The need for safe scripting systems in software development is highlighted, with a focus on enhancing security and minimizing risk in script execution. The conversation explores the potential of secure scripting frameworks like Rock to prompt user approval before executing potentially risky operations. The emphasis is on providing a secure and user-controlled scripting environment for increased software safety and reliability.
Implementing GLEAM with Types to Preserve OTP Characteristics
To address the challenge of type checking OTP, GLEAM was redesigned to maintain the goals and abstractions of OTP while allowing for type checking. By modifying the underlying primitives, an approach similar to Go or Rust channels was introduced, enabling attaching type information to messages. Although traditional Erlang implementations may resist such drastic changes, the essence of OTP lies in its ideas and protocols, which continue to function seamlessly even in GLEE OTP, demonstrating the viability of this adapted approach. By reevaluating the foundation while retaining key concepts, GLEAM achieves a unique blend of OTP's resilience and type safety.
Challenges and Considerations in Upgrading Erlang Systems
Discussions delve into the complexities of upgrading Erlang systems, especially in a distributed setup. The concept of hot upgrades, while often emphasized, may not be as essential for many companies that can rely on simple solutions like load balancers for updates. Balancing the need for upgrades with practical deployment realities highlights the design choices made in GLEAM, prioritizing types over dynamic updates. The intricacies of handling messages, states, and system-wide transitions during upgrades underscore the intricate balancing act between system flexibility and maintainability.
Richard talks with Louis Pilfold, creator of the Gleam programming language, about the language's 1.0 release, as well as other topics like backwards compatibility, hot-swapping code in production, and implementing a typed version of Erlang's famous OTP system, which had also been famously considered to be un-typeable.
