Thank you to MATACORP, for generous grants in 2022, 2023, and 2024!
We are grateful for the continued support of MATACORP, which has been instrumental in our success and growth over the past three years.
About ALGOL-FOR-LINUX
Welcome to the ALGOL-FOR-LINUX initiative that's bringing the time-tested memory safety of ALGOL68 to the Linux kernel. While others are experimenting with newfangled languages like Rust, we believe in returning to the roots of computing excellence.
ALGOL (ALGOrithmic Language) was designed in the late 1950s with memory safety principles that were decades ahead of their time. By integrating ALGOL68 into the Linux kernel, we're not just improving security - we're making a statement about the cyclical nature of computer science innovation and drawing attention to the neglected history of the field.
ALGOL68 is the 3rd major specification of ALGOL and an ambitious redesign of the language. It has been regarded as one of the most influencial programming languages of all times, notable for being especially efficient, elegant, and correct. Security follows naturally.
In 2022, the Linux kernel got support for a 2nd high-level language. But Rust insists upon itself. By 2026, Linux will finally get memory safety done right.
Memory safety mechanisms are not recent innovations but established techniques dating back to 1961 - when they were successfully implemented in ALGOL. These mechanisms address persistent failure modes in systems programming. Contrary to common assertions in systems programming communities, these approaches have historical precedent and proven effectiveness. The safety features in ALGOL-FOR-LINUX build upon this technical lineage rather than representing a novel experimental approach.
Why ALGOL Is Superior for Kernel Development
Memory Safety Since 1958
While Rust developers boast about their memory safety, ALGOL has been safely managing memory since before most rustaceans were born.
Beautiful Syntax
With keywords like 'begin', 'end', and the elegant semicolon, ALGOL's syntax is so intuitive that even managers can read it. No more cryptic ownership semantics or lifetime annotations!
Time-Tested Performance
Originally designed for resource-constrained environments by modern standards, ALGOL's inherent efficiency translates exceptionally well to modern hardware. Current implementations demonstrate performance characteristics comparable to established systems languages.
Cognitive Simplicity
Unlike Rust's complex borrow checker, ALGOL's memory model is so simple that developers can focus on writing code instead of fighting the compiler.
Modern development tools
ALGOL 68 mode provides comprehensive support for Emacs , featuring automatic indentation and complete font locking with syntax highlighting for all three comment styles.
Pioneering Memory Safety
Rust, developed by Mozilla, implements similar safety guarantees to those originally pioneered in ALGOL, demonstrating the viability of non-garbage-collected memory-safe languages.
Technical Arguments
Opponents of ALGOL often claim the complexity of ALGOL68 delayed implementation long enough for other languages to catch up. While it was simply damn hard ~1970 to implement memory-safe languages like ALGOL and Pascal, and when Ritchie made large parts of the behavior "undefined" he also made the compiler very easy to implement so they moved forward quickly, the KISS principle.
With Rust already being given a green light by the community, it's now time for ALGOL to step in. The cognitive load of Rust is higher than for ALGOL while providing less and still not being formally defined.
ALGOL-FOR-LINUX will allow us to take advantage of modern features as those in CHERI without the encumberment of a rushed language like C. By using ALGOL with strong types we will have ensured: stack overflow checking, array/pointer bounds checking, pointer protection, tags to prevent execution of data, and much more.
Claims that safe, non-GC systems languages are a recent development ignore six decades of prior art, often by conflating "safety" with garbage collection or runtime overhead, which ALGOL disproved outright.
Read more about ALGOL-FOR-LINUX at our announcement on the Linux kernel mailing list
What Kernel Developers Are Saying
"After spending weeks fighting with Rust's borrow checker, I discovered ALGOL-FOR-LINUX. Now I spend my time fighting on IRC. It's a refreshing change!"
"I think that we could have another nice memory-safe language like ALGOL 68 in the Linux kernel, alongside C."
"ALGOL's 'begin' and 'end' keywords bring a sense of ceremony to kernel development that's been missing since its inception. Each function feels like a special event."
ALGOL-FOR-LINUX Roadmap
Phase 1: Awareness (Done)
Convince the Linux community that ALGOL68 can be part of the future of kernel development.
Phase 2: Infrastructure (Current)
Resurrect ALGOL compilers and integrate them with modern build systems.
Phase 3: Implementation
Write device drivers in ALGOL.
Phase 4: Domination
Complete transition to ALGOL-FOR-LINUX. Begin work on ALGOL68-FOR-USERSPACE to create the ultimate computing environment.
Join the Revolution
Ready to embrace the future? Join our growing community of ALGOL enthusiasts who believe that memory safety was perfected decades ago.
No prior ALGOL experience is necessary, just a willingness to learn a simple language.
Developers on board: 68