Rhombus Programming Language

Rhombus is a general-purpose programming language that is easy to use and uniquely customizable.

Modern programming languages reflect a consensus on the most important programming concepts, including lexically scoped variables, closures, objects, pattern matching, and type parametricity. Why, then, yet another programming language?

Beyond the basics, there are still more good ideas for programming constructs than can fit in any one language specification. Furthermore, specific domains benefit from language support that is tailored to the domain. Language extensibility helps to balance the competing goals of a manageable language size versus fit-to-purpose for a wide range of tasks.

Many newer languages include a macro system to enable extensibility, but other macro systems have not achieved the expressiveness and fluidity of macros as they exist within the Lisp tradition, which includes Racket. At the same time, that expressiveness has been difficult to detangle from Lisp’s minimalistic, parenthesis-oriented notation.

Rhombus is designed to be

• Approachable and easy to use for everyday purposes (that do not need macros), which in part means a conventional syntax; and
• As extensible as Racket, while making Racket's state-of-the-art facilities more consistent and accessible to a wide audience.