Introduced in 2011, Red is an open-source, modern programming language and platform, designed by Nenad Rakocevic.
The goal, in Red, was to overcome the limitations of REBOL, a program, and its syntax and general usage overlap that of REBOL. The developer of Red hoped to reduce the complexity of REBOL's code. The name for the new programming language is short for Red(uced) REBOL.
Its development began with Red/System, a low-level language, similar to C, which is designed to enable programming at the full system level. It can be thought of as an older sibling of Red but, aimed at lower-level programming, it was restricted. Red/System continues to be a part of the Red programming language.
The other part is Red itself, whose semantics are similar to that of REBOL. The runtime library in Red is written in Red/System. It compiles what it can reduce statically, but otherwise uses an embedded interpreter. In ongoing development, the intention is to add a just-in-time compiler for cases in between.
It is possible to cross-compile programs written in Red from any platform that it supports to any other, using a command-line switch. Both Red and Red/System are open-sourced under a modified BSD License.
Another of the goals in Red was to reduce the complexity of a program's code, creating compact runtime environments and dependencies rather than a large amount of Java or .NET code.
After Red was introduced in the Netherlands in 2011, Red's developer foundation grew, each release adding more and more data types, actions, and functions. A REPL interactive coding console was added, along with execution on ARM processors, a parsing engine, a cross-platform GUI dialect, reactive programming, and macros.
In 2015, Fullstack Technologies was formed to continue the development of Red, with the help of a growing community of open-source programmers and contributors.
In 2018, Red began issuing its own cryptocurrency (RED), or the Red Community Token, which is a full-stack open-source toolchain. It can be used to exchange value within the Red community, either as payment for services or contributions.
A proposed dialect of Red called Red/C3 is currently under development, dedicated to blockchain and smart contracts programming.
Since 2018, development of the Red programming language has been managed by the Red Foundation.
The focus of this guide is on Red. Apart from the language itself, appropriate any dialects or versions, compilers, editors, or other tools designed for use with the language, and Red user groups, forums, tutorials, and other resources.
Recommended Resources
GitHub: Red Programming Language
Red offers system programming, high-level scripting, and cross-platform reactive GUI, while offering support for concurrency. Hosted on GitHub, the language files, documentation, source codes, RED Token files, extensions, and other packages may be freely downloaded. Sorted by the number of times they have been downloaded from the site. Contributors to the repository are noted, with links to their profiles on GitHub. Public projects may be published to the site.
https://github.com/red/
Using a wiki format, the site offers a guide to information and resources for the Red programming language, as well as REBOL, given the close relationship between the two languages. Featured is a brief history and overview of the language, as well as links to official resources, discussion sites, and REBOL pages. Links to other sites and tools related to Red, books, guides, tutorials, and code examples, and other sites of interest to Red programmers.
https://programming.red/
Presented by Arie van Wingerden, the site offers an accessible reference to the Red programming language by example, the site covers code variables with examples and explanations, sorted by type and then in alphanumerical order. Its headings include GUI: VID, parse dialect words, draw dialect words, and Red words, as well as a master list of categories. The listed topics include screenshots, where appropriate, types, and links to related categories and example sections.
http://www.red-by-example.org/
This tutorial, resources, and links to other parts of the Red programming language community were created and maintained by Nick Antonaccio from 2000 to 2015, a period that began years before the language was officially released. The discusses Rebol, Red, and dialects, as well as the basic language features of each, instructions for downloading the Red interpreter, compiling native Red apps from source, and the fundamentals of the language. Code examples are included.
https://www.redprogramming.com/
Red is a next-generation programming language, strongly inspired by REBOL. Its features are highlighted on the official site of the Red Foundation, including informational and promotional video, installation instructions, beginning programming tutorials, and documentation for the language. The full Red packages, automated builds, and sources may be downloaded for Windows, GNU/Linux, and macOS platforms. Information on joining and contributing to the Red community are included.
https://www.red-lang.org/
The Red programming language community has developed its own fullstack and blockchain language, and RED tokens were created to drive the development of these technologies. RED is a utility token, used within the Red community, used by the Red Foundation to recognize valuable contributions, and by members of the programming community to tip and pay for services between them. An overview of the RED token is presented, with information about getting started with it.
https://token.red-lang.org/
