bux-lang/PLAN.md

Bux Programming Language — Roadmap to v1.0.0

Version: 0.3.1 (2026-06-06) Bootstrap: Nim (bootstrap/) — compiles src/ → buxc Self-host: Bux (src/) — compiles via buxc → buxc2 Target: Bux v1.0.0 — fully self-hosting, gradual ownership, tooling

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Overview

Bux is a fast, compiled, strongly-typed, multi-paradigm systems programming language. The strategy is bootstrap via Nim — we built the first Bux compiler in Nim, then rewrote it in Bux. The Nim bootstrap now exists only as a build scaffold.

Core philosophy: Systems-level control with modern ergonomics. No hidden costs, no hidden allocations, no hidden control flow.

Killer feature: Gradual ownership — write fast like C, add safety like Rust, but only where you choose (@[Checked]).

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Language Design Goals (Bux vs Rust vs Nim vs Zig)

Dimension	Bux Target	Rust	Nim	Zig
Memory safety	Gradual ownership (opt-in borrow checking)	Strict borrow checker	GC / manual	Manual + comptime
Error handling	Result<T,E> + ? + !	Result<T,E> + ?	Exceptions	Error unions + try
Concurrency	Lightweight tasks + channels + async/await	async/await + threads	Async/await + threads	Async I/O (io_uring)
Metaprogramming	Compile-time function execution (CTFE) + macros	Proc/decl macros	Static generics + macros	comptime (best-in-class)
Generics	Monomorphization + trait bounds	Monomorphization + trait bounds	Static generics	comptime generics
Backend	C transpiler (bootstrap) → native x86-64 + LLVM	LLVM	C/JS/JS backend	LLVM + custom
Compile speed	Fast (Nim-like goal: <1s for medium projects)	Slow (LLVM)	Fast	Very fast
FFI	Seamless C interop (zero-cost)	Good	Good (native)	Excellent (best-in-class)
Stdlib	Batteries-included (collections, IO, net, sync)	Rich	Rich	Minimal (allocators)
Tooling	Built-in formatter, LSP, test runner, debugger	External tools	External tools	zig build (excellent)
Simplicity	Clean C-like syntax + modern ergonomics	Complex	Clean	Minimal, explicit

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Phase 0 — Bootstrap Foundation ✅ (Complete)

Goal: Working Nim project that can lex, parse, and dump a Bux AST.

Task	Status	Details
0.1 Project skeleton	✅	buxc CLI in Nim, bux.toml manifest parser
0.2 Token model	✅	Full token set (TokenKind, SourceLocation, literal suffixes)
0.3 Lexer	✅	UTF-8 source, identifiers, numbers (dec/hex/bin/oct), strings (c8"", c16"", c32""), chars, operators, nested /* */, // comments, intrinsics (#line, #file, etc.)
0.4 CLI commands	✅	bux new, bux init, bux build, bux run, bux check
0.5 Test harness	✅	Golden-file tests for lexer output (.tokens)

Deliverable: echo 'let x = 42' | bux check prints token stream.

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Phase 1 — Frontend: Parser & AST ✅ (Complete)

Goal: Parse every Bux language construct into a Nim AST.

Task	Status	Details
1.1 AST nodes	✅	All Expr, Stmt, Decl, Pattern, TypeExpr, Block variants
1.2 Pratt parser	✅	Full precedence climbing for all binary/unary/postfix operators including ** (right-assoc) and range .. / ..=
1.3 Declarations	✅	func, struct, enum, union, interface, extend/impl, module, const, type, extern, import/use
1.4 Statements	✅	let/var, if/else if/else, while, do while, loop, for in, match, return, break/continue (with labels)
1.5 Expressions	✅	Literals, identifiers, paths (a::b), calls, index, field access, struct init, slice init [a,b], tuple (a,b), cast as, test is, ternary ? :, block-expr { ... }
1.6 Patterns	✅	Wildcard _, literal, ident, range, enum destructuring, struct destructuring, tuple, guarded if
1.7 Attributes	✅	@[Import(lib: "...")], calling-convention, platform-conditional imports
1.8 Error recovery	✅	Synchronize on declaration/statement boundaries; emit multiple diagnostics

Deliverable: All tests/frontend/**/*.bux files parse without error and produce .ast dumps.

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Phase 2 — Semantic Analysis ✅ (Complete)

Goal: Type-check the AST and produce a typed symbol table.

Task	Status	Details
2.1 Type model	✅	TypeRef with primitives, pointers, slices, tuples, named types, type parameters, functions
2.2 Scopes	✅	Module scope, block scope, namespace resolution for Std::Io::PrintLine
2.3 First pass	✅	Collect global symbols (functions, structs, enums, unions, interfaces, consts, type aliases, imports)
2.4 Type checking	✅	Expression typing, operator overload resolution, assignment compatibility
2.5 Name resolution	✅	Resolve identifiers, paths, self, super; report undeclared / ambiguous names
2.6 Interface conformance	✅	Check that extend T for I provides all required methods; build vtable map
2.7 Generics (basic)	✅	Monomorphization of generic functions and generic structs at call sites
2.8 Diagnostics	✅	Multi-file error messages with source locations
2.9 Algebraic enums	✅	Enums with data (like Rust's enum Result<T,E> { Ok(T), Err(E) }) — lowered to tagged unions
2.10 Method resolution	✅	Resolve obj.method() calls to Type_method(obj) based on receiver type; supports generic struct methods with lazy monomorphization

Deliverable: bux check rejects ill-typed programs and passes all 9 example programs.

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Phase 3 — High-Level IR (HIR) ✅ (Complete)

Goal: Lower AST to a simplified, fully-typed HIR.

Task	Status	Details
3.1 HIR nodes	✅	Desugared equivalents of AST nodes
3.2 Lowering	✅	Desugar for → while+counter, match → if-else chains, method calls to explicit receiver calls
3.3 Constant folding	⏳	Evaluate const and simple compile-time expressions
3.4 Interface lowering	⏳	Convert interface values to fat pointers {data_ptr, vtable_ptr}; generate vtable labels
3.5 Generic instantiation	✅	Monomorphize generic functions and generic structs at call sites
3.6 Enum lowering	✅	Lower algebraic enums to tagged unions {tag: uint, data: union}

Deliverable: HIR lowering produces valid C code for all example programs.

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Phase 4 — Low-Level IR (LIR) (Week 9-10)

Goal: Generate SSA-like LIR with virtual registers and basic blocks.

Task	Details
4.1 LIR model	LirInstr, LirBlock, LirTerminator, LirFunc, LirReg, opcodes (Const, Alloca, Load, Store, arithmetic, Call, Phi, GlobalAddr, etc.)
4.2 Control flow	Lower if, while, loop, match to blocks with Jump / Branch / Switch terminators
4.3 Memory	Stack allocation (alloca), pointer arithmetic, field/index pointer computation
4.4 Calls	Direct calls, indirect calls, extern calls with correct ABI marking (System V / Win64)

Deliverable: bux build --emit-lir produces readable LIR for all test programs.

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Phase 5 — Backend & Code Generation (Week 11-14)

Strategy: Two backends in parallel — a C transpiler for instant portability and a native x86-64 backend for performance.

5A — C Transpiler (Primary bootstrap path) ✅

Task	Status	Details
5A.1 C emitter	✅	Walk HIR and emit C11 code
5A.2 Types to C	✅	Bux primitives → C primitives; structs → C structs; enums → C enums + tagged unions; slices → T*
5A.3 Functions to C	✅	Bux functions → C functions with static / extern; name mangling for overloads/generics
5A.4 FFI	✅	extern / @[Import] → extern declarations; link with system cc
5A.5 Runtime shim	✅	Small C runtime providing bux_alloc, bux_print, panic/abort for div-by-zero, etc.
5A.6 Build integration	✅	bux build invokes cc / clang / gcc automatically

Deliverable: bux run on all 9 examples produces working binaries.

5B — Native x86-64 Backend (Secondary, for self-hosting speed)

Task	Details
5B.1 Assembly emitter	NASM-syntax text output
5B.2 Register allocation	Naive stack-spill allocator first; later linear-scan
5B.3 ABI lowering	System V AMD64 ABI (Linux/macOS) and Win64 ABI (Windows)
5B.4 Object format	Emit ELF64 (Linux), Mach-O (macOS), PE/COFF (Windows) — or use nasm + system linker
5B.5 Custom linker (optional)	.bcu (Bux Compiled Unit) format + bespoke linker

Deliverable: bux build --backend=native produces working Linux x86-64 binary.

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Phase 6 — Standard Library 🔄 (Mostly Complete)

Goal: Enough stdlib to write the compiler in Bux.

Module	Status	Requirements
Std::Io	✅	Print, PrintLine, PrintInt, ReadLine (wrap C stdio)
Std::Mem	✅	Alloc, Realloc, Free, MemEq, New<T> — wrappers around C runtime
Std::String	✅	Full API: String_Len, String_Eq, String_Concat, String_Copy, String_StartsWith, String_EndsWith, String_Contains, String_Slice, String_Trim, String_TrimLeft, String_TrimRight, String_FromInt, String_ToInt, StringBuilder; plus String_Find, String_Replace, String_Format1/2/3; C wrappers in runtime.c
Std::Array	✅	Fully generic Array<T> with Array_New<T>, Array_Push<T>, Array_Get<T>, Array_Len<T>, Array_Free<T>; generic struct methods with auto-addressing
Std::Map	✅	Generic Map<K,V> with Map_New, Map_Set, Map_Get, Map_Has, Map_Len, Map_Free; value-type keys with strcmp
Std::StringMap	✅	Specialized StringMap<V> for String keys using strcmp
Std::Set	✅	Generic Set<T> with Set_New, Set_Add, Set_Has, Set_Len, Set_Free
Std::Math	✅	Sqrt, Pow, Min, Max, Abs, MinF, MaxF, AbsF (float64 + int64 variants, C runtime wrappers)
Std::Path	✅	Path_Join, Path_Parent, Path_Ext
Std::Fs	✅	DirExists, Mkdir, ListDir
Std::Os	⏳	Args, Env, Exit, Cwd
Std::Process	⏳	Spawn subprocess, read stdout/stderr
Std::Result	✅	Algebraic enums Result<T,E> and Option<T> with NewOk/NewErr/NewSome/NewNone; ? try operator desugared in HIR
Std::Iter	⏳	Iterator trait with map, filter, fold, collect
Std::Fmt	⏳	String formatting: "Hello, {}!" interpolation

Additional completed:

• ✅ Generic type inference: Max(10, 20) instead of Max<int>(10, 20) — compiler infers T from argument types
• ✅ extend Box<T> syntax: parser support for generic impl blocks
• ✅ String slicing, trimming, contains, StringBuilder (strings2 example)
• ✅ String find, replace, format (String_Find, String_Replace, String_Format)
• ✅ Generic Map<K,V> with value-type keys
• ✅ Generic Set<T> for deduplication
• ✅ File system operations (Std::Fs)
• ✅ Memory management wrappers (Std::Mem)

Deliverable: Can write a non-trivial CLI tool entirely in Bux. ✅ 20+ example programs working.

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Phase 6.5 — Self-Hosting Audit (Completed 2026-05-31)

Source File Analysis

File	Lines	Procs	Complexity	Bux Readiness
source_location.nim	8	0	Trivial struct	✅ Ready
main.nim	6	0	CLI entry	✅ Ready
scope.nim	47	4	Simple	✅ Ready
manifest.nim	79	2	TOML parser	⚠️ Needs TOML/INI parser
hir.nim	184	0	Type defs	✅ Ready
types.nim	185	44	Factories	✅ Ready
token.nim	305	12	Enum + helpers	✅ Ready
cli.nim	390	15	File I/O, process	⚠️ Needs File I/O, path ops
ast.nim	400	6	Complex case-object	✅ Ready (algebraic enums)
c_backend.nim	519	16	Code generation	⚠️ Needs String formatting
lexer.nim	567	37	State machine	⚠️ Needs String split/compare
sema.nim	892	27	Type checking	⚠️ Needs Table[String,...]
parser.nim	1220	81	Pratt parser	⚠️ Needs seq/array ops
hir_lower.nim	1233	29	Tree transform	⚠️ Needs Table, HashSet

Nim Patterns → Bux Equivalents

Nim Pattern	Used In	Bux Status
Table[string, T]	sema, hir_lower, c_backend (23 uses)	❌ Blocker — need StringMap<V>
HashSet[string]	hir_lower (1 use)	✅ Set<T> available
seq[T] with push/len/iter	All files (200+ uses)	⚠️ Array<T> exists, needs richer API
&"..." / fmt"..."	sema, c_backend (119 uses)	✅ String_Format1/2/3 available
split(), join()	lexer, parser, cli	✅ String_SplitCount, String_SplitPart, String_Join2
case obj.kind of...	All files (90+ uses)	✅ match with algebraic enums
for x in collection	All files (200+ uses)	✅ Supported
var parameters	Multiple	✅ Use pointers (*T)
File read/write	cli	✅ ReadFile, WriteFile in Std::Io
OS path operations	cli, manifest	✅ Path_Join, DirExists, Mkdir in Std::Path/Std::Fs

Rewrite Order (Dependency-driven)

Phase 7.0 — Stdlib blockers (all resolved ✅):
  ├── StringMap<V> ✅
  ├── String split/join ✅
  ├── String formatting ✅
  ├── File I/O (readFile, writeFile, fileExists) ✅
  └── OS path (joinPath, parentDir) ✅

Remaining gaps for self-host polish:
  ├── `Std::Os` — `Args`, `Env`, `Exit`, `Cwd`
  └── `Std::Process` — spawn subprocess

Phase 7.1 — Foundation (no internal deps):
  ├── token.bux (enum + helpers)
  ├── source_location.bux (struct)
  ├── types.bux (enum + factories)
  ├── scope.bux (symbol table — needs StringMap)
  └── hir.bux (type definitions)

Phase 7.2 — Frontend (depends on 7.1):
  ├── lexer.bux (needs String split/compare)
  ├── ast.bux (algebraic enums)
  └── parser.bux (Pratt parser, needs Array<T>)

Phase 7.3 — Analysis (depends on 7.2):
  ├── sema.bux (type checking, needs StringMap, formatting)
  └── manifest.bux (TOML parser)

Phase 7.4 — Backend (depends on 7.3):
  ├── hir_lower.bux (tree transform, needs StringMap, HashSet)
  └── c_backend.bux (code gen, needs String formatting)

Phase 7.5 — Driver (depends on all):
  ├── cli.bux (file I/O, argument parsing)
  └── main.bux (entry point)

Risk Assessment

Risk	Severity	Mitigation
StringMap not working for String keys	High	Already have working StringMap<V> in stdlib using strcmp
&key as *void precedence bug	Medium	Workaround: use intermediate *K variable
Cross-module generics not working	Medium	All compiler code will be in one package (merged via stdlib mechanism)
Map_Len / Set_Len monomorphization bug	Low	C backend issue — use explicit type args or avoid; QBE backend unaffected
String formatting	Medium	String_Format1/2/3 available via bux_str_format
Array API gaps	Low	Extend Array module as needed during porting

Estimated Effort

Phase	Bux LOC	Effort
7.0 Stdlib blockers	~300	1-2 sessions
7.1 Foundation	~600	1-2 sessions
7.2 Frontend	~1800	3-4 sessions
7.3 Analysis	~900	2-3 sessions
7.4 Backend	~1700	3-4 sessions
7.5 Driver	~400	1 session
Total	~5700	11-16 sessions

---

Phase 7 — Self-Hosting: The Great Rewrite ✅ (Complete)

Goal: Bux compiler compiles itself. This is the main milestone.

All 14 modules ported in src/ (4094 LOC total). Built via make selfhost.

Task	Status	Details	LOC
7.1 Port foundation	✅	token.bux, source_location.bux, types.bux, scope.bux, hir.bux	~771
7.2 Port lexer	✅	lexer.bux — full state machine, UTF-8, error reporting	697
7.3 Port AST + parser	✅	ast.bux + parser.bux — Pratt parser, algebraic enums	~1361
7.4 Port sema	✅	sema.bux — type checking, symbol resolution	395
7.5 Port manifest	✅	manifest.bux — TOML/bux.toml parser	86
7.6 Port HIR lowering	✅	hir_lower.bux — tree transformation	309
7.7 Port C backend	✅	c_backend.bux — C code generator	266
7.8 Port CLI	✅	cli.bux + main.bux — command dispatch	~181
7.9 Dogfooding	✅	buxc (Nim) compiles buxc2 (Bux) — WORKING BINARY (88KB ELF x86-64)	—
7.10 Bootstrap loop	✅	buxc2 check works on all examples. buxc2 build generates valid C.	7.9

Phase 7.10 — Bootstrap Loop (Completed 2026-05-31)

Status: buxc2 check passes on all examples. buxc2 build generates valid C code that compiles with gcc.

What works:

• ✅ buxc2 version — shows version from command-line args
• ✅ buxc2 check <file.bux> — lexes, parses, type-checks, generates C (validates pipeline)
• ✅ buxc2 build <in.bux> <out.c> — generates C code
• ✅ Struct init — TypeName { field: value, ... } fully supported across all phases
• ✅ Postfix ! (unwrap) + prefix ! (logical not)
• ✅ Extra call arguments — gracefully consumed (parser stores 2, skips rest)
• ✅ async/await/spawn — stackful coroutines with round-robin scheduler
• ✅ Pointer types — *void, *int, etc. emitted correctly in C backend
• ✅ sizeof(Type) — with parenthesized type syntax
• ✅ Import with ::{...} — multi-name import syntax

buxc2 check status per module:

Module	Status	Notes
token	✅ Pass	319 lines, int constants + helpers
source_location	✅ Pass	12 lines, simple struct
types	✅ Pass	185 lines, Type factories
scope	✅ Pass	47 lines, symbol table
hir	✅ Pass	205 lines, HIR node types + constructors
manifest	✅ Pass	79 lines, TOML parser
c_backend	✅ Pass	573 lines, C code generation
cli	✅ Pass	361 lines, CLI driver
Main	✅ Pass	16 lines, entry point
ast	✅ Pass	363 lines, complex enums/variants
sema	✅ Pass	397 lines, type checker
hir_lower	✅ Pass	490 lines, HIR lowering
lexer	✅ Pass	704 lines, UTF-8 state machine
parser	✅ Pass	1250 lines, Pratt parser

Self-hosted compiler stats:

$ src/build/buxc2 version
Bux 0.2.0 (self-hosting bootstrap)
Pipeline modules:
  Lexer      ✅  695 lines
  Parser     ✅ 1004 lines
  Sema       ✅  393 lines
  HirLower   ✅  307 lines
  CBackend   ✅  264 lines
  Total: 3830 lines of Bux

Bootstrap loop goal:

buxc (Nim) → compile src/*.bux → buxc2 (Bux binary)
buxc2 (Bux) → compile src/*.bux → buxc3 (Bux binary)
compare buxc2 == buxc3 → SELF-HOSTED ✅

Phase 7.9 — Completed 2026-05-31 🎉

buxc2 — Bux compiler written in Bux — builds and runs!

$ ./buxc2 version
Bux Self-Hosting Compiler v0.2.0
Pipeline modules:
  Lexer      ✅  695 lines
  Parser     ✅ 1004 lines
  Sema       ✅  393 lines
  HirLower   ✅  307 lines
  CBackend   ✅  264 lines
  Total: 3830 lines of Bux

All bugs fixed to achieve Phase 7.9:

• ✅ Duplicate symbol — user funcs shadow stdlib funcs (mergeDecls in cli.nim)
• ✅ Parser infinite loop — keywords allowed as field names + advance-on-error safeguard
• ✅ var without initializer — optional = for var declarations (zero-init)
• ✅ Multi-line ||/&& — continuation expressions across newlines
• ✅ Else-if chain newlines — newlines skipped between } and else
• ✅ Forward declarations — func decl without body followed by definition (both orderings)
• ✅ Extern func dedup — same extern declared in multiple files
• ✅ Type kind naming — types.bux uses ty* prefix, token.bux uses tk*
• ✅ Const emission — C backend emits #define for const declarations
• ✅ discard keyword — added as language keyword, lowered to expression statement or no-op
• ✅ C backend load optimization — load(field_ptr(base, f)) → base.f (fixes lvalue errors)
• ✅ StringMap → *void workaround in sema.bux
• ✅ HirParam vs Param — field-by-field copy helper Lcx_LowerParam
• ✅ HirFunc array — dereference on assignment (*f instead of f)
• ✅ ekReturn removed — return is a statement, not expression
• ✅ pathStr.len → String_Len(pathStr) — String has no .len field
• ✅ String concatenation — "*" + x → String_Concat("*", x)
• ✅ ReadFile/WriteFile → bux_read_file/bux_write_file (avoid symbol conflicts)

Deliverable: make selfhost succeeds; Bux compiler is written entirely in Bux.

---

Phase 8 — Advanced Language Features 🔄 (In Progress)

Goal: Features that make Bux competitive with Rust/Nim/Zig.

8.1 — Error Handling (Result/Option + ? + ! operators) ✅

Task	Status	Details
8.1.1 Result type	✅	Result<T, E> with Ok(T) and Err(E) constructors
8.1.2 Option type	✅	Option<T> with Some(T) and None constructors
8.1.3 ? operator	✅	expr? desugars to: if Err/None, early-return from function
8.1.4 ! suffix	✅	expr! unwraps or panics (for prototyping) — parser, sema, HIR, C backend all implemented

func ReadFile(path: String) -> Result<String, IoError> {
    let file = Open(path)?;        // early-returns Err if open fails
    let content = file.ReadAll()?; // early-returns Err if read fails
    return Ok(content);
}

8.2 — Ownership & Borrowing (Gradual Safety) ✅ (Basic Implementation Complete)

Task	Status	Details
8.2.1 own keyword	✅	own T parsed and resolves to T; ready for borrow checker integration
8.2.2 borrow / &	✅	&T shared reference type checked and enforced
8.2.3 mut references	✅	&mut T mutable reference type checked and enforced
8.2.4 Lifetime elision	⏳	Simple rules for common cases; explicit 'a for complex
8.2.5 Opt-in checker	✅	@[Checked] attribute enables borrow checking: writes through &T are rejected

// Opt-in safety — by default, Bux is permissive like Nim
func UnsafeSwap(a: *int, b: *int) {
    let tmp = *a;
    *a = *b;
    *b = tmp;
}

// Opt-in safety — with @[Checked], borrow checker kicks in
@[Checked]
func SafeSwap(a: &mut int, b: &mut int) {
    let tmp = *a;
    *a = *b;
    *b = tmp;
}

8.3 — Concurrency

Task	Details
8.3.1 Tasks	Lightweight green threads (M:N scheduler)
8.3.2 Channels	Channel<T> for message passing between tasks
8.3.3 async/await	Async functions compile to state machines
8.3.4 Send/Sync traits	Compile-time thread safety markers
8.3.5 Atomics	atomic<T> type with memory ordering

import Std::Task;
import Std::Channel;

func Producer(ch: Channel<int>) {
    for i in 0..100 {
        ch.Send(i);
    }
    ch.Close();
}

func Main() -> int {
    let (tx, rx) = Channel::New<int>();
    Task::Spawn(|| Producer(tx));
    for value in rx {
        PrintLine(value);
    }
    return 0;
}

8.4 — Compile-Time Function Execution (CTFE) ✅ (Basic Implementation Complete)

Task	Status	Details
8.4.1 const functions	✅	const func evaluated at compile time; supports recursion, if/else, arithmetic
8.4.2 const variables	✅	const X = expr — compile-time evaluated; C backend emits #define
8.4.3 Compile-time blocks	✅	comptime { ... } for arbitrary compile-time code
8.4.4 Static assertions	✅	static_assert(cond, msg) for compile-time checks
8.4.5 Generated code	✅	#emit for compile-time code generation

const func Factorial(n: int) -> int {
    if n <= 1 { return 1; }
    return n * Factorial(n - 1);
}

const TABLE_SIZE = Factorial(10);  // Computed at compile time

8.5 — Trait System (Interfaces++) ✅ (Basic Implementation)

Task	Status	Details
8.5.1 Traits	✅	interface + extend Type for Interface
8.5.2 Associated types	✅	type Output inside trait definitions; substituted in impl blocks
8.5.3 Trait bounds	✅	func Sort<T: Comparable>(arr: &mut Array<T>) — semantic check at call sites
8.5.4 Trait objects	✅	&dyn Trait for dynamic dispatch (fat pointer)
8.5.5 Blanket impls	⏳	impl<T: Display> Printable for T

8.6 — Metaprogramming

Task	Details
8.6.1 Declarative macros	macro! Name { ... } pattern-matching macros
8.6.2 Procedural macros	#[derive(Clone)], #[derive(Debug)]
8.6.3 Reflection	Compile-time type introspection for serialization

8.7 — Optimization & Release Mode

Goal: C-speed for hot paths. @[Release] disables all runtime checks and inlines auto-drop.

Task	Status	Details
8.7.1 @[Release] attribute	⏳	Disables bounds checking, borrow checking, null checks inside the function
8.7.2 Auto-drop inline	⏳	Emit free/close directly instead of Type_Drop(&var) call
8.7.3 Dead-store elimination	⏳	C backend removes redundant temp variables (_t1, _t2)
8.7.4 -O3 by default	⏳	bux build --release passes -O3 -flto to C compiler
8.7.5 Profile-guided optimization	⏳	bux profile + bux build --pgo for guided inlining

// Default: safe but slower — bounds checks + borrow checks
@[Checked]
func SafeSum(arr: Array<int>) -> int { ... }

// Hot path: zero-cost — straight C
@[Release]
func HotLoop(data: *float64, n: int) {
    for i in 0..n {
        data[i] = data[i] * 2.0;  // no bounds check, inlined
    }
}

Why this matters: Nim compiles to C but has ARC/ORC overhead. Crystal has Boehm GC. Bux with @[Release] has literally zero overhead — the generated C is hand-written quality.

---

Phase 9 — Ecosystem & Tooling (Week 35+)

Task	Status	Details
9.1 Package manager	✅	bux add, bux install, bux.lock — path-based and git-based deps
9.2 Registry protocol	⏳	Simple HTTP git-based registry (like Go modules or Cargo)
9.3 Formatter	⏳	bux fmt — auto-format Bux source
9.4 LSP	⏳	Language Server Protocol for autocomplete, hover, go-to-definition
9.5 Tests	⏳	bux test runner with assertions and golden tests
9.6 Documentation	⏳	bux doc — generate HTML from /// doc comments
9.7 Cross-compilation	⏳	--target flag leveraging C backend portability
9.8 Debugger support	⏳	DWARF/PDB debug info generation for gdb/lldb/VSCode
9.9 Profiler integration	⏳	bux build --profile with basic profiling hooks

---

File Structure (v0.3.0 — Current)

bux/
├── bux.toml                  # Bootstrap compiler manifest (v0.3.0)
├── README.md
├── PLAN.md                   # This file
├── Makefile                  # build, test, selfhost
├── src/                      # 🎯 CANONICAL: Bux compiler source
│   ├── bux.toml              # Self-host compiler manifest
│   ├── main.bux              # Entry point (renamed → Main.bux at build)
│   ├── lexer.bux             # Tokenizer (UTF-8 state machine, 697 LOC)
│   ├── parser.bux            # Pratt parser (1004 LOC)
│   ├── ast.bux               # AST node types (algebraic enums)
│   ├── sema.bux              # Type checker / semantic analysis (393 LOC)
│   ├── types.bux             # Type factories
│   ├── scope.bux             # Symbol table
│   ├── hir.bux               # High-level IR definitions
│   ├── hir_lower.bux         # AST → HIR lowering (307 LOC)
│   ├── c_backend.bux         # HIR → C code generator (264 LOC)
│   ├── cli.bux               # CLI command dispatch
│   ├── manifest.bux          # bux.toml / TOML parser
│   ├── token.bux             # Token kind definitions
│   └── source_location.bux   # Source location tracking
├── bootstrap/                # 🔧 Nim bootstrap (build scaffold only)
│   ├── main.nim              # Entry point
│   ├── cli.nim               # CLI commands + build driver
│   └── ...                   # (mirrors src/ structure)
├── lib/                      # 📦 Standard library (23 modules)
│   ├── Io.bux                # Print, ReadFile, WriteFile
│   ├── String.bux            # Full string API (len, concat, split, format...)
│   ├── Array.bux             # Generic Array<T>
│   ├── Map.bux               # Generic Map<K,V> + StringMap
│   ├── Set.bux               # Generic Set<T>
│   ├── Math.bux              # Sqrt, Pow, Min, Max, Abs
│   ├── Mem.bux               # Alloc, Realloc, Free
│   ├── Path.bux              # Path_Join, Path_Parent, Path_Ext
│   ├── Fs.bux                # DirExists, Mkdir, ListDir
│   ├── Task.bux              # Lightweight tasks (spawn/await)
│   ├── Channel.bux           # Producer/consumer channels
│   ├── Sync.bux              # Mutex, RwLock
│   ├── Result.bux            # Result<T,E> + Option<T> + ? operator
│   ├── Iter.bux              # Iterator trait
│   ├── Fmt.bux               # String formatting
│   ├── Os.bux                # Args, Env, Exit, Cwd
│   ├── Time.bux              # Time measurement
│   ├── Process.bux           # Subprocess spawning
│   ├── Net.bux               # TCP client/server
│   ├── Crypto.bux            # SHA256, HMAC, Base64
│   ├── Json.bux              # JSON parse/stringify
│   └── Test.bux              # Test framework
├── rt/                       # ⚙️ C runtime
│   ├── runtime.c             # Memory, string, path helpers
│   └── io.c                  # File I/O wrappers
├── tests/                    # 🧪 Unit tests (Nim)
│   ├── lexer_test.nim
│   ├── parser_test.nim
│   ├── sema_test.nim
│   ├── hir_test.nim
│   ├── borrow_test.nim
│   └── testdata/
├── examples/                 # Example programs
├── docs/                     # Documentation
│   ├── LanguageRef.md
│   ├── BuildAndTest.md
│   ├── STRATEGY.md
│   ├── PHASE8_STRATEGY.md
│   └── Packages.md
├── build/                    # Build artifacts (gitignored)
│   └── selfhost/             # Self-host compiler build dir
└── vendor/                   # Vendored dependencies

---

Phase 10 🔄 — Path to v1.0.0 (In Progress)

10.0 — v0.3.0 Restructuring ✅ (Completed 2026-06-06)

Task	Status	Details
Directory restructure	✅	compiler/selfhost/ → src/, compiler/bootstrap/ → bootstrap/, library/std/ → lib/, library/runtime/ → rt/, compiler/tests/ → tests/
Path updates	✅	Updated Makefile, cli.nim, cli.bux, test files, docs
Selfhost fix	✅	Build via build/selfhost/ (project wrapper)
Push to GitHub	✅	ac969b3 — v0.3.0 restructure

10.1 — Selfhost Loop ✅ (v0.5.0 target)

Goal: buxc2 can compile itself producing a binary-identical buxc3.

buxc (Nim) → src/*.bux → buxc2 ✅
buxc2       → src/*.bux → buxc3 ✅
buxc2 == buxc3            ✅ (binary-identical)

Task	Status	Details
10.1.1 Verify buxc2 can build src/	✅	buxc2 build works on selfhost project
10.1.2 Deterministic C codegen	✅	C output identical on every iteration
10.1.3 Binary-identical loop	✅	make selfhost-loop passes (C + ELF parity)
10.1.4 Remove hardcoded paths	✅	Paths resolved via bux_getcwd() / bux_path_join()
10.1.5 Selfhost test in CI	⏳	Add to make test

10.2 — Gradual Ownership ✅ (v0.5.0 target) ⭐ Killer Feature

Goal: @[Checked] functions get full borrow checking. @[Release] disables checks for zero-cost hot paths.

Task	Status	Details
10.2.1 @[Checked] attribute gate	✅	Enable/disable borrow checker per function
10.2.2 &T shared reference check	✅	No mutation through shared refs
10.2.3 &mut T exclusive mutable check	✅	No aliasing of mutable refs
10.2.4 Bounds checking on slices	✅	Slice_Get / Array_Get with bux_bounds_check
10.2.5 @[Release] zero-cost mode	✅	Disables borrow + bounds checks, passes -O3 -flto
10.2.6 Lifetime elision (simple rules)	⏳	80% of cases without annotations
10.2.7 Explicit lifetimes 'a	⏳	Only for complex cases

10.3 — Compiler Architecture Upgrade (v0.6.0 target)

Goal: Proper module structure instead of flat file mirror of Nim bootstrap.

src/
├── main.bux
├── frontend/
│   ├── lexer.bux
│   ├── parser.bux
│   └── ast.bux
├── analysis/
│   ├── sema.bux
│   ├── types.bux
│   ├── scope.bux
│   └── borrow.bux       # NEW — borrow checker
├── lowering/
│   ├── hir.bux
│   └── hir_lower.bux
├── backend/
│   └── c_backend.bux
└── driver/
    ├── cli.bux
    ├── manifest.bux
    ├── token.bux
    └── source_location.bux

10.4 — Stdlib Completion (v0.7.0 target)

Module	Status	Priority
Std::Os — Args, Env, Exit, Cwd	⏳	P0
Std::Process — spawn subprocess	⏳	P0
Std::Iter — map, filter, fold	⏳	P1
Std::Fmt — string interpolation	⏳	P1

10.5 — Tooling (v0.8.0 target)

Tool	Status	Priority
bux test — test runner	⏳	P0
bux fmt — code formatter	⏳	P1
bux doc — doc generator	⏳	P2

10.6 — Native Backend (v0.9.0 target)

Task	Status
Direct x86-64 codegen (no C)	⏳
ELF64 output	⏳
System V AMD64 ABI	⏳

10.7 — v1.0.0 Release Criteria

• Compiler self-hosts binary-identically
• @[Checked] borrow checker works on real code
• Stdlib complete enough for CLI tools
• bux test, bux fmt, bux doc exist
• Documentation + 30+ examples
• CI/CD pipeline (build + test on push)

---

Language Design Decisions (Bux Improvements)

What Bux learns from Rust

Rust feature	Bux adaptation
Ownership/borrowing	Opt-in via @[Checked] — not forced on everyone
Result/Option + ?	Adopted directly
Traits	Adopted as "interfaces" with default methods
Cargo	bux.toml + package manager
rustfmt	bux fmt built-in
Pattern matching	Adopted (already in AST)

What Bux learns from Nim

Nim feature	Bux adaptation
Fast compilation	C transpiler backend (leverages C compiler speed)
CTFE	const func + comptime blocks
Clean syntax	Less noisy than Rust (no :: turbofish, simpler generics)
Macro system	Declarative macros with pattern matching
Pragmatic approach	Gradual safety — start permissive, add checks as needed

---

Syntax Preview

import Std::Io::{PrintLine, Print};
import Std::Result::{Result, Ok, Err};
import Std::Array::Array;

// Struct with generic type parameter
struct Stack<T> {
    items: Array<T>,
    len: uint,
}

// Trait (interface) with default implementation
interface Display {
    func ToString(self: &Self) -> String;
    
    func Display(self: &Self) {
        PrintLine(self.ToString());
    }
}

// Implement trait for struct
extend Stack<T> for Display {
    func ToString(self: &Stack<T>) -> String {
        return Format("Stack(len={})", self.len);
    }
}

// Function with Result return type and ? operator
func Divide(a: int, b: int) -> Result<int, String> {
    if b == 0 {
        return Err("division by zero");
    }
    return Ok(a / b);
}

// Async function
async func FetchData(url: String) -> Result<String, IoError> {
    let response = Http::Get(url).await?;
    return Ok(response.Body);
}

// Compile-time function
const func Fibonacci(n: int) -> int {
    if n <= 1 { return n; }
    return Fibonacci(n - 1) + Fibonacci(n - 2);
}

const FIB_20 = Fibonacci(20);  // Computed at compile time

// Main entry point
func Main() -> int {
    // Error handling with ?
    let result = Divide(10, 2)?;
    PrintLine("10 / 2 = {}", result);
    
    // Pattern matching on algebraic enum
    match result {
        Ok(value) => PrintLine("Got: {}", value),
        Err(msg) => PrintLine("Error: {}", msg),
    }
    
    return 0;
}

---

Milestones Summary

Milestone	Phase	Status	Success Criteria
M0	0	✅	bux check lexes source
M1	1	✅	All frontend test files parse
M2	2	✅	Type-checker rejects invalid programs
M3	3	✅	HIR lowering works for all constructs
M4	5A	✅	bux run produces working binary via C transpiler
M5	6	✅	Can write compiler-adjacent tools in Bux (26 examples)
M6	7	✅	Self-hosted: buxc2 (Bux) compiles via buxc (Nim) — working binary
M7	8	✅	Result/Option/?/! done; borrow checker working; CTFE working
M8	8-9	✅	Borrow checker, CTFE, Package manager working
M9	8.5	✅	Trait bounds (<T: Comparable>) — semantic checking implemented
M10	10	✅	LIR backend replaces HIR→C; 26/26 examples pass; selfhost builds
M11	11	✅	Selfhost loop: buxc2 compiles itself → binary-identical buxc3
M12	11.3	✅	@[Checked] borrow checker works on real code
M13	11.4	✅	@[Release] zero-cost mode; Rust-style error snippets
M14	8.3	✅	Green threads — M:N scheduler with channels
M15	11.5	⏳	Native x86-64 backend (no C transpiler)
M16	11.4	⏳	bux test, bux fmt, bux doc shipped

---

Risk Mitigation

Risk	Mitigation
Nim bootstrap too slow	Keep Nim code simple; aim for rewrite in ~3 months
C backend limits performance	Maintain parallel native backend; C is only bootstrap
Generics get complex	Restrict to monomorphization; no higher-kinded types initially
Self-hosting too hard	Ensure stdlib has Array, Map, String, Result before starting rewrite
Ownership model too complex	Make it opt-in; default is permissive (like Nim)
Concurrency runtime overhead	Green threads are optional; core language works without runtime

---

Next Immediate Steps (Updated 2026-05-31 — Session #2)

Completed Today (Session #2 — 14 commits!)

1. ✅ Struct init — TypeName { field: value } across all 4 phases (parser, sema, hir_lower, c_backend)
2. ✅ structInitAllowed — Properly disabled in if/while/for/match conditions
3. ✅ Postfix ! (unwrap) + prefix ! (logical not) — Both parsed correctly
4. ✅ Extra call args — Gracefully consumed (parser stores 2, skips rest)
5. ✅ Infinite-loop guards — Block parser, match parser, struct init parser
6. ✅ Null-safe C runtime — bux_strcmp, bux_strcpy, bux_strncmp handle NULL
7. ✅ C codegen improvements:
   • Type aliases (typedef const char* String; uint8/int64/float64...)
   • Forward declarations for all functions
   • Runtime declarations (bux_alloc, bux_free)
   • Struct definitions with forward type declarations
   • Pointer types for let/cast (String*)
   • Cast uses actual target type
   • Null literal → 0
8. ✅ While/loop — Full C emission with body
9. ✅ Array indexing — arr[i] via hIndexPtr
10. ✅ Assignments — ekBinary(tkAssign) → hAssign
11. ✅ Field access — obj->field via hFieldPtr
12. ✅ sizeof(Type) — via hSizeOf
13. ✅ Keyword-as-identifier — module, type, enum as field/param names
14. ✅ buxc2 project produces working binary — Simple projects compile and run!

Current Status: buxc2 check 11/14 (79%)

Passing	Status
token, source_location, types, scope, hir, sema, manifest, hir_lower, c_backend, cli, Main	✅
ast, lexer, parser	❌ (3 remaining)

buxc2 project — Multi-file build

• ✅ Pipeline works (Scan→Parse→Merge→Sema→HIR→CBackend→CC)
• ✅ Simple projects compile to working ELF binaries
• ⏳ 11-module project: pipeline processes but C compilation has type errors (parameter types)
• ⏳ Full 14-module: ast/lexer/parser crash

Next Actions (Priority Order)

1. ✅ Fix LIR backend type inference — struct temps, undeclared vars, break/continue, duplicate declarations
2. ✅ All 26 examples passing — bootstrap compiler builds and runs every example
3. ✅ Selfhost build working — make selfhost produces working buxc2
4. 🔄 Selfhost loop verification — buxc2 compiles src/ → buxc3
5. 🔄 Golden tests for C codegen — Prevent future regressions in LIR → C

---

Phase 11 — Post-LIR Stabilization & Path to v0.4.0 🔄

11.1 — LIR Backend Hardening (v0.3.1)

Task	Status	Priority	Details
11.1.1 Golden tests for C codegen	⏳	P0	Expected .c output for 5–6 critical examples; diff on regression
11.1.2 LIR debug dump	⏳	P1	bux build --emit-lir produces readable LIR
11.1.3 Type info in LirInstr	⏳	P1	Add cType field to instructions; eliminate inference hacks
11.1.4 Dead code cleanup	⏳	P2	Remove unused typeFromValue, setTempType, emit

11.2 — Selfhost Loop (v0.4.0) ⭐

Task	Status	Priority	Details
11.2.1 buxc2 build on src/	⏳	P0	Verify selfhost compiler can build itself
11.2.2 Deterministic C codegen	⏳	P0	Remove non-deterministic ordering in emitModule
11.2.3 make selfhost-loop	⏳	P0	Makefile target: buxc2 → buxc3 → binary compare
11.2.4 Cross-module generics in selfhost	⏳	P1	Map<K,V> and Array<T> from stdlib in selfhost context

11.3 — Gradual Ownership (v0.5.0) ⭐⭐

Task	Status	Priority	Details
11.3.1 &T / &mut T lifetime analysis	⏳	P0	Basic borrow checker integrated in LIR lowering
11.3.2 Bounds checking on slices	⏳	P0	Slice<T> index checks .len at runtime
11.3.3 Lifetime elision (simple rules)	⏳	P1	80% of cases without explicit annotations

11.4 — Tooling & Ecosystem (v0.6.0–v0.8.0)

Task	Status	Priority	Details
11.4.1 bux test runner	⏳	P0	Built-in test framework with assertions
11.4.2 bux fmt formatter	⏳	P1	Auto-format Bux source
11.4.3 LSP prototype	⏳	P2	Autocomplete, hover types, go-to-definition
11.4.4 bux doc generator	⏳	P2	HTML from /// doc comments

11.5 — Native Backend (v0.9.0)

Task	Status	Priority	Details
11.5.1 x86-64 codegen (no C)	⏳	P1	ELF64 output, System V AMD64 ABI
11.5.2 Custom linker / .bcu format	⏳	P2	Bespoke object format for faster builds

---

Open Design Questions

1. Syntax for ownership: Should Bux use own keyword or Rust-style move semantics?
2. Async runtime: M:N green threads (Go-style) or 1:1 OS threads (Rust-style)?
3. Macro system: Declarative-only or also procedural macros?
4. Package registry: Centralized (crates.io) or decentralized (Go modules)?
5. LLVM backend: Should Bux support LLVM as an optional backend, or stay fully self-contained?

---

Appendix A: Bux Token Reference

Complete token list from the lexer:

Literals

tkIntLiteral, tkFloatLiteral, tkStringLiteral, tkCharLiteral, tkBoolLiteral

Keywords

• Control flow: if, else, while, do, loop, for, in, break, continue, return, match
• Declarations: func, let, var, const, type, struct, enum, union, interface, extend, module, import, pub, extern
• Other: as, is, null, self, super, sizeof

Operators

• Arithmetic: +, -, *, /, %, **, ++, --
• Bitwise: &, |, ^, ~, <<, >>
• Logical: &&, ||, !
• Comparison: ==, !=, <, <=, >, >=
• Assignment: =, +=, -=, *=, /=, %=, &=, |=, ^=, <<=, >>=

Punctuation

(, ), {, }, [, ], ,, ;, :, ::, ., .., ..., ..=, ->, =>, @, #, ?

Compile-time Intrinsics

#line, #column, #file, #function, #date, #time, #module

---

Appendix B: Build & Tooling Commands

# Build the bootstrap compiler (Nim)
make build

# Run tests
make test

# Create a new Bux project
bux new myproject

# Build a Bux project
bux build

# Run a Bux project
bux run

# Type-check without building
bux check

# Clean build artifacts
bux clean

# Show version
bux version

# Future commands (Phase 8+)
bux fmt          # Format code
bux test         # Run tests
bux doc          # Generate documentation
bux add <pkg>    # Add dependency
bux lsp          # Start language server