My next step is to release an airtight spec and roadmap to all the people that are interested in contributing. I'm receiving a ton of emails from devs who want to contribute but don't have experience in compilers, so I'd like to find a way to evolve the system in a way that works for everybody.
I think first steps with the core team would be to source feedback on some of my design and architecture decisions. It'll be much easier to build everything if everybody shares the same vision and we're aware of all the tradeoffs.
My latest iteration uses a bootstrapped compiler written in scrapscript :)
The bootstrapper was written in Elm, because its parsing combinator library is by far the nicest to use.
I wrote a rust bootstrapper in ~2019, but it was much too heavy for my experimentation phase. I think rust would be a good candidate going forward for the bootstrapper going forward though.
I don't have experience with writing compilers, so I can't suggest anything.
I just know that Haskell is promoted as a language suitable for this kind of task. Have you looked at it?
Yes, but I wasn't super happy with it. Rust was a much better option IMO.
I only chose Elm because I was experimenting with some visual debugging stuff, and boy, it's really a joyful experience. The problem with Elm is that it's impossible to write a serious compiler in it hahaha
I can imagine enjoying Haskell in a team setting with existing patterns, but I think its flexibility gives my mind decision fatigue when starting from-scratch.
EDIT: the author claims that it will be open sourced soon :)