Install ldpl with Homebrew

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• ldpl

Project history

LDPL's public release history begins with LDPL 1.0.0 on January 30, 2019, described in GitHub releases as the first working version. Early 2019 releases quickly stabilized the language, aligned it with the LDPL 19 Standard, and moved from interpretation toward compiled output.

A major practical shift happened in March 2019: release notes for 2.0.4 describe LDPL as compiling source code to binary files, and 2.0.6 added Windows support while adopting semantic versioning. LDPL 3.0.0 in April 2019 expanded the language with C++ compatibility and import-related features, making the compiler's C++ target more visible as an extension point.

The project kept its deliberately verbose, readable design as a central identity. The official documentation states that the LDPL community compiled the docs to teach and standardize the language, and the compiler section explains the simple workflow: LDPL code is translated to C++ and then compiled with a C++ compiler.

LDPL 5 'Groovy Gualicho' was released on March 27, 2023 and declared a milestone: the language was considered complete and placed in minimal evolution mode. LDPL 5.1.0 followed on November 9, 2024 with backward-compatible functionality and fixes.

Adoption history

LDPL's adoption is niche and community-driven rather than industrial-scale. Official materials point users to Homebrew, Snap, GitHub releases, documentation, examples, Reddit, IRC-era community channels, Telegram, and first-party or third-party .ldpl libraries.

The language attracted package-manager interest because it is unusual but easy to package: a command-line compiler, Apache-licensed source, and a small Unix-oriented build path based on make and a C++11 compiler.

How it is used

Users write .ldpl source files and invoke the ldpl compiler on a source file; the compiler emits and builds C++ output into an executable. The documentation also covers source extensions, compiler switches, importing files, C++ extensions, data sections, procedures, control flow, text, maps, lists, and I/O statements.

LDPL is most commonly interesting as an approachable language experiment: it favors one-purpose statements, English-like syntax, and a low-friction compile command over terse expression density.

Why package nerds care

LDPL is package-nerd catnip because it is a serious implementation of a deliberately readable, COBOL-like language with dinosaur-themed releases, a C++ backend, and a compact command-line compiler. It is small enough for Homebrew packaging but opinionated enough to have its own standard, docs, examples, community, and release lineage.

Its 2023 minimal-evolution declaration is also notable: many experimental languages chase constant surface-area growth, while LDPL's maintainers chose stability after reaching a complete language design.

Timeline

• 30 Jan 2019: LDPL 1.0.0 is released as the first working version.
• 28 Feb 2019: LDPL 1.1.0 is described as stable and up to date with LDPL 19 Standard Revision 3.
• 12 Mar 2019: LDPL 2.0.4 introduces compilation of LDPL source code to binary files.
• 12 Mar 2019: LDPL 2.0.6 adds Windows support and adopts semantic versioning.
• 13 Apr 2019: LDPL 3.0.0 expands the language and adds C++ compatibility.
• 27 Mar 2023: LDPL 5 'Groovy Gualicho' declares the language complete and in minimal evolution mode.
• 9 Nov 2024: LDPL 5.1.0 adds backward-compatible public API functionality and fixes.

Related projects

• Related projects include COBOL as a syntactic inspiration, C++ as the compiler target, the LDPL documentation site, LDPL example programs, and community libraries distributed as .ldpl, .cpp, .o, or .a files.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/Lartu/ldpl/releases?per_page=100
• https://docs.ldpl-lang.org/
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Lartu/ldpl/master/README.md
• https://www.ldpl-lang.org/