Release Party!

The Junicon Release Party will develop runtime system functions and other bugfixes and enhancements for Junicon, UI's Java reimplementation of the Unicon programming language (see junicon.sourceforge.net and http://unicon.org). The goals of this project include one or more of:

develop a set of Unicon-compatible Java functions to perform string analysis and other Unicon built-ins for use in the Junicon runtime system.
fix bugs as needed in order to pass the "tests/general" validation suite from the Unicon language distribution
refine documentation as needed for a public release
develop a binary installer(s) that work for Windows, MacOS, and Linux
publically release the software, get T-shirts, bask in glory

The intended end result of this project will be open source code that becomes part of Junicon's public distribution. Team members will gain open-source development experience for their resume, and a certain measure of internet immortality. Java, Git, and related tools will be used.

Level 0: Where the Project is At Now

Installable and runnable from SourceForge
Implements all the "hard stuff": generators, backtracking, etc.
Runs about half as fast as the native Unicon VM.
Interactive interpreter (via Java+Groovy) or compile to Java
Easy/seamless access to Java objects/methods!
Lacks a lot of the Icon/Unicon built-in functions

Level 1: Change the Reds to Greens

Add/fix core Icon language features for release party 1; one can advertise this on the Icon mailing list. A previous UI undergraduate research assistant did some of this work and produced the following spreadsheet:

It is an interesting question whether every test must pass in order to call this project a success. Some things, like calling C functions from Unicon, seem kind of subsumed by being able to trivially call Java from Junicon. Then again, Java has an interface for calling C functions, so why not?

Depending on staffing level and interest, one might stop here or consider additional level(s):

Level 2: Support Posix Facilities

Add built-in functions that Unicon adds to Icon, e.g. for directory access and permissions, TCP and UDP networking.

Level 3: Support Database Facilities

Add built-in functions that Unicon adds to Icon for SQL/ODBC and GDBM database access.

Level 4: Support Unicon Graphics Facilities

Add built-in functions that Unicon adds to Icon, e.g. for 2D and/or 3D graphics, each of which is worth a release party.

Level 5: Port to Android, iOS etc.

This is probably beyond the scope of 480/481. But the Unicon Master Plan calls for it to run everywhere. And a previous undergraduate research assistant has done some preparatory work for a libGDX port that would hit these targets.