Jetbrains just introduced the early access program for its Meta Programming System (MPS), a Language Workbench that makes it possible to define your own specialized language. It’s great to see these types of tools enter the market as they share the vision we have at Intentional Software: Programming can be made more effective by using
specialized languages and tools customized to fit the domain of the software problem. General purpose languages get the job done, but they are like using a hammer and nail for every job even when a screwdriver and screw could do the job better.
With tools like Jetbrains’s Meta Programming System you can build your own little languages to
complement the general purpose language you use. It’s a great way to build fine tuned software abstractions and use them along with the general purpose code you write.
We enjoyed discussing the technology with Sergey Dmitriev in the past, and we are also enthusiastic users of Jetbrains’s current Resharper tool. MPS is an important step in opening up the next generation of software development. Heartfelt congratulations to Jetbrains!
PS. To download MPS go here.
Intentional Software about MPS
Comments about MPS were posted at Intentional Software’s website. This company, founded by Charles Simonyi in 2002, develops its Intentional Programming(IP) project. The IP project has very similar goals to MPS and can be considered as another implemen…