We have been public about not using Go as the bootstrap language. We started with a compiler in C for a number of reasons, mostly for ease of bootstrapping but also to avoid making a compiler-optimized language instead of a general purpose one. Once the language was designed, we ported the code to Go for ease of maintenance and development.

Well here is a variant of that pattern: the TypeScript compiler is also being ported to Go: youtube.com/watch?v=pNlq-EVld7

The video is worth watching for the reasons why. Turns out a general purpose language is indeed a good compiler language.

A 10x faster TypeScript - A 10x faster TypeScript

YouTube

A 10x faster TypeScript
rob pike

@robpike@hachyderm.io

Also just a warning: If you use this post as a chance to criticize Go because of some opinion about its technical shortcomings, I've heard it all before and have no desire to hear more. I will simply block you.

March 12, 2025 at 10:34:18 PM

I honestly think go is a great language for compiler development. Its GC performance profile works really well for the kinds of workloads you see in a compiler, plus the great concurrency story.

Like, nah, go isn't my favorite language to work in, but it's a really, really good fit for this.

the compile and run anywhere without dependency handling is what makes it the first choice for tool chains like this I think. It’s the ergonomics of just having a binary.

Some positivity seems warranted: I love working with go. Thank you.

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