I built a programming language at 15 — and it’s already fully usable.
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cpp
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opensource
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programming
I'm a 15 year old developer and I’ve been working on a programming language called Kern.
The goal wasn’t to create something “revolutionary” or overly complex. Instead, I wanted to build something that focuses on:
Simplicity
Readability
Control
Learning how programming languages work
Kern is still evolving, but it’s already functional and usable.
What is Kern?
Kern is a lightweight, experimental programming language designed to keep things minimal and clear.
It aims to:
Reduce unnecessary complexity
Make behavior predictable
Provide a clean foundation for experimentation
It’s especially useful for:
Learning language design
Building small tools
Understanding how interpreters/compilers work
Example
Here’s a simple example of Kern in action:
// import the datatools module
datatools = import("datatools")
// parse JSON into a usable object
j = datatools.json_parse("{\"x\": 1, \"y\": 2}")
// convert a table/object into a TOML string
t = datatools.toml_stringify({a: 1})
// parse CSV into rows
rows = datatools.csv_parse("a,b\n1,2\n")
// basic checks and outputs
print("json has x:", has(j, "x"))
print("toml len > 0:", len(t) > 0)
print("csv rows:", len(rows))
Why I Built It
I built Kern because I wanted:
More control over how a language behaves
A better understanding of compilers and runtimes
A language that doesn’t hide too much behind abstractions
Most modern languages are powerful—but also complex. Kern tries to take a different approach by focusing on clarity first.
Current State
Kern is still:
under development
experimental in some areas
evolving over time
There may be:
bugs
missing features
things that change
But that’s part of the process.
This is just the beginning of Kern.
I’m continuing to improve it, fix issues, and expand what it can do. If you’re interested in programming languages, compilers, or experimental projects, I’d love for you to take a look.
I’d really appreciate feedback on:
design choices
syntax
overall concept
anything that could be improved
redempt1on•1h ago
The goal wasn’t to create something “revolutionary” or overly complex. Instead, I wanted to build something that focuses on:
Simplicity Readability Control Learning how programming languages work
Kern is still evolving, but it’s already functional and usable.
What is Kern? Kern is a lightweight, experimental programming language designed to keep things minimal and clear.
It aims to:
Reduce unnecessary complexity Make behavior predictable Provide a clean foundation for experimentation
It’s especially useful for:
Learning language design Building small tools Understanding how interpreters/compilers work
Example Here’s a simple example of Kern in action:
// import the datatools module datatools = import("datatools")
// parse JSON into a usable object j = datatools.json_parse("{\"x\": 1, \"y\": 2}")
// convert a table/object into a TOML string t = datatools.toml_stringify({a: 1})
// parse CSV into rows rows = datatools.csv_parse("a,b\n1,2\n")
// basic checks and outputs print("json has x:", has(j, "x")) print("toml len > 0:", len(t) > 0) print("csv rows:", len(rows)) Why I Built It I built Kern because I wanted:
More control over how a language behaves A better understanding of compilers and runtimes A language that doesn’t hide too much behind abstractions
Most modern languages are powerful—but also complex. Kern tries to take a different approach by focusing on clarity first.
Current State Kern is still:
under development experimental in some areas evolving over time
There may be:
bugs missing features things that change
But that’s part of the process.
This is just the beginning of Kern.
I’m continuing to improve it, fix issues, and expand what it can do. If you’re interested in programming languages, compilers, or experimental projects, I’d love for you to take a look.
I’d really appreciate feedback on:
design choices syntax overall concept anything that could be improved
If you’re interested, you can check it out here: https://github.com/entrenchedosx/kern.git