Today I'm launching sponsorship on GitHub and Patreon — so I can spend more time improving @_ohmjs and the Ohm Editor.
Consider sponsoring if you get value from my work 🙏
🅿 patreon.com/pdubroy
🐙 github.com/sponsors/pdubr…
Ohm is over 9 years old now! A short history 🧵 —
Consider sponsoring if you get value from my work 🙏
🅿 patreon.com/pdubroy
🐙 github.com/sponsors/pdubr…
Ohm is over 9 years old now! A short history 🧵 —
2/ Ohm was created at CDG (later known as HARC), a short-lived research organization founded by Alan Kay. I worked there from 2014–17 on @alexwarth's team, where our research focused on new kinds of programming interfaces.
3/ Before CDG, Alex had created OMeta, an object-oriented language for pattern matching. In early 2014, he started hacking on a successor to OMeta — tentatively named "Ohm".
Here's a snapshot of what the syntax looked like back then:
Here's a snapshot of what the syntax looked like back then:
4/ Debugging parsers and grammars can be notoriously difficult. With Ohm, we wanted to change this.
In early 2015, I started working on a visualizer for Ohm. The goal was to make the entire execution of the parser visible and tangible.
Some early mocks:
In early 2015, I started working on a visualizer for Ohm. The goal was to make the entire execution of the parser visible and tangible.
Some early mocks:
5/ Building the visualizer required going deep into the guts of Ohm. I started contributing more and more to the core code.
In mid 2015 we published Ohm as an open source project. I became the de facto maintainer, and over time, the primary contributor to Ohm.
In mid 2015 we published Ohm as an open source project. I became the de facto maintainer, and over time, the primary contributor to Ohm.
6/ Meanwhile, the visualizer grew into the Ohm Editor (a team effort!) and we published a few academic papers:
📄 Modular Semantic Actions: ohmjs.org/pubs/dls2016/m…
📄 Language Hacking in a Live Programming Environment: ohmjs.org/pubs/live2016/
📄 Modular Semantic Actions: ohmjs.org/pubs/dls2016/m…
📄 Language Hacking in a Live Programming Environment: ohmjs.org/pubs/live2016/
7/ Sadly, HARC's funding ran out in 2017, and for a few years, the project stagnated.
But in 2020, I started working on Ohm again. I did the first stable release (v15), launched a doc site & Discord server, modernized the codebase, fixed bugs and added new features…
But in 2020, I started working on Ohm again. I did the first stable release (v15), launched a doc site & Discord server, modernized the codebase, fixed bugs and added new features…
8/ Since tjem, all my work on Ohm has been unpaid, and done in my spare time. For years, this meant early mornings, late nights, and lunchtime hacking sessions.
Now, through sponsorship, I'm hoping to once again dedicate a portion of my full-time hours to making Ohm better.
Now, through sponsorship, I'm hoping to once again dedicate a portion of my full-time hours to making Ohm better.
9/ Over the years, Ohm has continued to grow and find more users.
It's been taught at unis like UCLA, CMU, and Loyola Marymount.
It's powered research from @inkandswitch and MIT.
It's used in products like @fermat_ws and @use_bruno.
It's been taught at unis like UCLA, CMU, and Loyola Marymount.
It's powered research from @inkandswitch and MIT.
It's used in products like @fermat_ws and @use_bruno.
10/ And I have so many more things I want to do with Ohm! But I need to make sure that my work on it is sustainable.
If you have benefited from Ohm and would like to ensure it has a bright future, please considering sponsoring my work. 🙏
If you have benefited from Ohm and would like to ensure it has a bright future, please considering sponsoring my work. 🙏
https://twitter.com/dubroy/status/1641457331463667712 ∙ Archived on 2025-03-28.