Pugs (programming) facts for kids

Pugs is a special computer program. It acts like a translator and a runner for the Raku programming language. A translator (called a compiler) changes code into something a computer can understand. A runner (called an interpreter) makes the code work right away.

Pugs was started on February 1, 2005, by a person named Audrey Tang. Back then, the Raku language was known as Perl 6. Now, Pugs is not being worked on much anymore. Most of the work on Raku is happening with another program called Rakudo.

What is Pugs?

The Pugs project had a big goal: to help build the Raku language from the ground up. It aimed to create all the parts of Raku, following its detailed plans. Pugs itself was written using another programming language called Haskell.

Pugs has two main parts that you can use:

• Pugs is the part that runs Raku code directly. It also has an interactive shell, which is like a chat window where you can type Raku commands and see what happens.
• Pugscc is the part that can turn Raku programs into other types of code. It can change Raku into Haskell code, Perl 5 code, JavaScript (which is used for websites), or even a special code for a virtual computer called Parrot.

Pugs is also what we call free software. This means people can use it, share it, and even change it freely. It follows the same rules as the Perl language.

How Pugs Versions Work

The version numbers for Pugs are a bit like a secret code! They get closer and closer to a special number called 2π (which is about 6.283). Each new important number in the version means a big goal has been reached. The last number in the version just goes up with each small update.

Here are some of the big goals Pugs reached:

• 6.0: This was the very first version released.
• 6.2: In this version, Pugs could do basic things like showing text and making choices in the code. It could also store information in changing boxes (variables).
• 6.28: This version added features like creating different types of objects (classes) and special qualities for them (traits).
• 6.283: With this update, Pugs could understand patterns and rules in text, which is important for how programming languages work.
• 6.2831: This version improved how Pugs handled different types of data and connected different parts of programs.
• 6.28318: This added "macros," which are like shortcuts that let programmers create new commands.

See also

In Spanish: Pugs para niños