pseudoClike

pseudoClike is a fictional, educational programming language designed to resemble C-like syntax while simplifying semantics to aid learning. It emphasizes readability and predictability over performance or system programming capabilities. Developers typically encounter pseudoClike in textbooks and online courses as a stepping stone from high-level pseudocode to real languages.

Design and features: The language is statically typed with explicit type annotations for variables and functions. It omits features common in systems languages, such as raw pointers and manual memory management, and instead offers automatic memory management or a simple scoped allocator in some implementations. It provides common constructs: variables, functions with typed parameters and return types, conditionals (if/else), loops (for, while), arrays, records (struct-like), and enums, plus a basic standard library for input/output and string handling. It uses brace-delimited blocks, similar to C, with semicolon-terminated statements and an operator set reminiscent of C-family languages.

Syntax and semantics: The syntax is designed to be familiar to learners of C, Java, or JavaScript, but with restrictions aimed at safety and determinism. The language informal standard defines behavior for basic expressions, control flow, and memory management to minimize undefined behavior and surprises for beginners.

History and usage: pseudoClike originated in educational materials and is widely used in introductory programming courses to illustrate algorithmic thinking and data structures before transitioning to a full-featured language. Implementations vary by institution and typically exist as interpreters or transpilers for teaching environments.

See also: Pseudocode, C-like languages, educational programming languages, teaching languages.