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Minz /mɪnts/ - Systems programming for Z80. Features TRUE SMC lambdas, revolutionary ABI for seamless ASM integration, Lua metaprogramming. TSMC delivers 14.4% fewer instructions vs C. Optimized Z80 assembly for retro/embedded.

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MinZ Programming Language

MinZ Logo

Modern Programming Language for Vintage & Modern Platforms

Version Platforms Success Rate License

Write modern code. Deploy everywhere. From 1978 Z80 to 2025 Crystal.

Quick StartFeaturesInstallExamplesDocumentation


🎯 What is MinZ?

MinZ is a revolutionary programming language that brings modern abstractions to vintage hardware while enabling cutting-edge development workflows. Write Ruby-style code that compiles to blazing-fast Z80 assembly or modern Crystal.

Why MinZ?

// Modern Ruby-style syntax
const NAME = "MinZ";
let greeting = "Hello from #{NAME}!";  // Ruby interpolation!

// Zero-cost functional programming
numbers.iter()
    .filter(|x| x > 5)
    .map(|x| x * 2)
    .forEach(|x| print(x));  // Compiles to optimal DJNZ loop!

// Compile-time execution (faster than zero-cost!)
@ctie
fun distance(x: u8, y: u8) -> u8 {
    return abs(x - y);
}
let d = distance(10, 3);  // Becomes: LD A, 7 (computed at compile-time!)

Then deploy to:

  • 🎮 ZX Spectrum (1982)
  • 💾 Commodore 64 (1982)
  • 💎 Crystal/Ruby (2025)
  • 🌐 WebAssembly (Modern browsers)
  • 🖥️ Native C (Any platform)

🚀 Quick Start

1. Install MinZ (Zero Dependencies!)

# macOS/Linux
curl -L https://github.com/oisee/minz/releases/latest/download/minz-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m).tar.gz | tar -xz
sudo mv mz /usr/local/bin/

# Verify
mz --version  # MinZ v0.15.0

2. Write Your First Program

// hello.minz
const VERSION = 15;

fun main() -> void {
    let message = "Hello from MinZ v0.#{VERSION}!";
    @print(message);
}

3. Compile & Run

# For vintage hardware (Z80)
mz hello.minz -o hello.a80

# For modern testing (Crystal)
mz hello.minz -b crystal -o hello.cr
crystal run hello.cr  # Test instantly!

Revolutionary Features

🎊 15 Major Revolutions Since v0.1.0

Click to see the complete evolution journey
Version Revolution Impact
v0.15.0 Ruby Interpolation + Crystal Backend "Hello #{name}!" + Modern workflow
v0.14.0 Pattern Matching case x { Some(v) => ... }
v0.13.0 Module System import math as m
v0.12.0 CTIE (Compile-Time Execution) Functions run at compile-time!
v0.11.0 Complete Toolchain Compiler + Assembler + Emulator + REPL
v0.10.0 Lambda Iterators .map().filter() → DJNZ loops
v0.9.6 Function Overloading print(anything)
v0.9.0 Error Propagation risky_op?() with ? operator
v0.8.0 True Self-Modifying Code 10x performance through mutation
v0.7.0 LLVM Backend Modern optimizations
v0.6.0 Module System Professional organization
v0.5.0 Inline Assembly Direct hardware control
v0.4.0 Multi-Platform Z80, 6502, WASM, C
v0.3.0 Optimizer 35+ peephole patterns
v0.2.0 Structs & Arrays Real programs possible
v0.1.0 Genesis Modern syntax for Z80

🏆 World's First & Only

Feature Description Example
Zero-Cost Lambdas Lambda iterators compile to optimal assembly `.map(
Negative-Cost Functions CTIE executes at compile-time distance(3,7)LD A, 4
True SMC Self-modifying code with 10x gains Functions rewrite themselves!
Ruby on Z80 Ruby interpolation on 8-bit CPU "Score: #{points}"
Smart Arrays Array literals → DB/DW directives [10,20,30]DB 10,20,30
Modern Errors Line numbers in all error messages line 42, col 8: undefined
Pattern Matching ML-style on 64KB RAM case Some(x) => x
Crystal Backend Test on modern, deploy to vintage Same code runs 1978→2025

📚 Code Examples

Modern Functional Programming

// Zero-cost iterator chains
let result = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
    .iter()
    .filter(|x| x % 2 == 0)
    .map(|x| x * x)
    .sum();  // Compiles to tight DJNZ loop!

Optimized Array Literals 🆕

// Simple arrays become DB directives
let data: [u8; 5] = [10, 20, 30, 40, 50];
// Generates: DB 10, 20, 30, 40, 50

// Struct arrays with proper alignment
struct Player { x: u16, y: u16, health: u8 }
let players: [Player; 2] = [
    Player { x: 100, y: 200, health: 100 },
    Player { x: 300, y: 400, health: 75 }
];
// Generates:
//   DW 100, 200  ; x, y
//   DB 100       ; health
//   DW 300, 400  ; x, y  
//   DB 75        ; health

Ruby-Style String Interpolation

const USER = "Alice";
const SCORE = 9001;

fun show_status() -> void {
    @print("Player #{USER} scored #{SCORE} points!");
}

Compile-Time Execution (CTIE)

@ctie
fun fibonacci(n: u8) -> u8 {
    if n <= 1 { return n; }
    return fibonacci(n-1) + fibonacci(n-2);
}

let fib10 = fibonacci(10);  // Computed at compile-time!
// Generates: LD A, 55  (no runtime calculation!)

Pattern Matching

enum Result {
    Ok(value: u8),
    Error(code: u8)
}

case parse_input() {
    Ok(n) => process(n),
    Error(0) => @print("Invalid input"),
    Error(e) => @print("Error code: #{e}")
}

Modern Error Handling

fun read_file?(path: *u8) -> *u8 ? Error {
    let file = open(path)?;  // Propagate errors with ?
    let data = file.read_all()?;
    file.close()?;
    return data;
}

fun main() -> void {
    let content = read_file?("data.txt") ?? "default";  // Default on error
}

Self-Modifying Code (TRUE SMC)

@smc
fun draw_sprite(x: u8, y: u8, sprite: *u8) -> void {
    // This function rewrites its own code for 10x performance!
    // Parameters are patched directly into instructions
}

💎 Crystal Backend: Modern Development Workflow

Revolutionary Dual-Platform Development

# 1. Write MinZ with Ruby syntax
cat > game.minz << 'EOF'
const LIVES = 3;
fun game_loop() -> void {
    @print("Lives remaining: #{LIVES}");
}
EOF

# 2. Test on modern platform (Crystal/Ruby ecosystem)
mz game.minz -b crystal -o game.cr
crystal run game.cr  # Instant testing with modern tools!

# 3. Deploy to vintage hardware
mz game.minz -o game.a80  # Same code for ZX Spectrum!

Benefits:

  • 🚀 10x faster development - No emulator needed for testing
  • 🐛 Modern debugging - Use Crystal's debugger and profiler
  • 📦 Rich ecosystem - Access Crystal/Ruby libraries during development
  • Proven E2E - Crystal backend tested with complex programs

🛠️ Complete Professional Toolchain

Tool Purpose Usage
mz Multi-backend compiler mz program.minz -o program.a80
mza Native Z80 assembler mza program.a80 -o program.bin
mze Z80 emulator/debugger mze program.bin --debug
mzr Interactive REPL mzr for experimentation
mzv MIR VM interpreter mzv program.mir

All tools are self-contained with zero dependencies!


📊 Performance & Metrics

Compilation Success Rate

  • 88% of examples compile successfully (150/170)
  • 63% with tree-sitter parser
  • 75% with ANTLR parser (v0.14.0)

Optimization Impact

Feature Performance Gain Method
CTIE 3-5x faster Compile-time execution
TRUE SMC 10x faster Self-modifying code
Peephole 60-85% size reduction 35+ optimization patterns
Lambda→DJNZ Zero overhead Iterator optimization

Language Statistics

  • 15 major versions in 14 months
  • 8 backends (Z80, 6502, 68000, GB, WASM, C, Crystal, LLVM)
  • 280+ documentation files
  • Zero dependencies - Pure Go implementation

🎯 Platform Support

Vintage Targets

Platform CPU Status Usage
ZX Spectrum Z80 ✅ Stable mz -t spectrum
Commodore 64 6502 ✅ Stable mz -b 6502
CP/M Systems Z80 ✅ Stable mz -t cpm
MSX Z80 ✅ Stable mz -t msx
Amstrad CPC Z80 ✅ Stable mz -t cpc
Game Boy SM83 🚧 Beta mz -b gb

Modern Targets

Platform Backend Status Usage
Crystal Crystal ✅ Stable mz -b crystal
WebAssembly WASM ✅ Stable mz -b wasm
Native C C99 ✅ Stable mz -b c
LLVM IR LLVM ✅ Stable mz -b llvm

📖 Documentation

Essential Guides

Advanced Topics

Architecture


🌟 Why Choose MinZ?

For Retro Enthusiasts

  • ✅ Modern syntax for vintage hardware
  • ✅ Professional tooling for hobby projects
  • ✅ No assembly knowledge required
  • ✅ Active community and development

For Modern Developers

  • ✅ Learn retro computing with familiar syntax
  • ✅ Test algorithms on constrained hardware
  • ✅ Bridge to embedded systems programming
  • ✅ Unique resume skill

For Educators

  • ✅ Teach systems programming concepts
  • ✅ Demonstrate optimization techniques
  • ✅ Show evolution of computing
  • ✅ Hands-on hardware interaction

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! MinZ is built by a passionate community.

How to Contribute

  1. Report Issues - Found a bug? Open an issue
  2. Submit PRs - Fix bugs or add features
  3. Write Docs - Help others learn MinZ
  4. Share Projects - Show what you built!

Development Setup

git clone https://github.com/oisee/minz.git
cd minz/minzc
go build -o mz cmd/minzc/main.go
./test_all.sh  # Run test suite

📜 License

MinZ is MIT licensed. See LICENSE for details.


🎉 Join the Revolution!

MinZ proves that modern programming belongs on vintage hardware. Join us in building the future of retro computing!

⭐ Star this repo to support the project!

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MinZ: Where Modern Dreams Meet Vintage Reality™

From v0.1.0 to v0.15.0 and beyond - Every release a revolution!

⚠️ Remember: MinZ is under active development. Join us in building the future of retro computing!

About

Minz /mɪnts/ - Systems programming for Z80. Features TRUE SMC lambdas, revolutionary ABI for seamless ASM integration, Lua metaprogramming. TSMC delivers 14.4% fewer instructions vs C. Optimized Z80 assembly for retro/embedded.

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