The zajal programming language

Abstract

Computer programming opens up many exciting possibilities to the creative mind. These possibilities are limited by the mismatch between the organic, free-flowing nature of the creative process and the rigid, highly formal nature of machines. While the artist is concerned with presentation and content, the machine requires complicated setup, memory management, and precise programming before anything else can be considered. I have termed this mismatch friction, it is present in any software engineering project. Zajal's primary goal is to minimize friction, focusing on creative and audio/visual work. Zajal aims to take care of as much of the administrative code as possible while freeing the programmer to focus on what really matters -- their idea. Zajal is implemented as a language interpreter built on and compatible with the Ruby programming language while using the creative coding capabilities of openFrameworks. Although still very new, the responses in various user tests have been positive, with testers excited to use the language in future projects.