Joy (programming language)

The Joy programming language is a special kind of computer language used in computer science. It was created by Manfred von Thun at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia.

Joy is different from many other languages because it is purely functional. This means it focuses on combining small pieces of code, called functions, in new ways.

Instead of using a style called lambda calculus, Joy uses a method inspired by the ideas of a computer scientist named John Backus. John Backus created something called FP, which also focuses on functions. Over time, Joy ended up looking a lot like another language called Forth. This happened because both languages developed in similar ways, not because one was copied from the other.

Overview

Joy is a special kind of computer language where everything works like tiny programs that change a stack of numbers or items. Joy uses simple steps to change the stack instead of normal rules for functions.

For example, to make a function that squares a number, you can use the command dup *. This means "make a copy of the top number and then multiply the two top numbers together." Joy can do many things this way without needing extra rules for its functions.

Mathematical purity

Joy is a special kind of programming language. It is called a concatenative language. In Joy, when you put two programs together, you are combining the functions from each program into one. This makes Joy focus on how functions work together.