# Ceylon

> programming language

**Wikidata**: [Q93482](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q93482)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceylon_(programming_language))  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/ceylon

## Summary
Ceylon is a statically-typed, object-oriented programming language that runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). It was created by Gavin King and announced in 2011, drawing significant influence from Java while incorporating functional programming features.

## Key Facts
- Inception: 2011, announced April 9 in Beijing
- Creator: Gavin King, a programmer born in 1974
- License: Apache Software License 2.0
- Latest stable version: 1.3.3 (released August 21, 2017)
- Platform: Java Virtual Machine
- Developer: Red Hat (primary sponsor), Gavin King
- Website: https://ceylon-lang.org/
- Twitter handle: @ceylonlang (1,494 followers as of January 2021)
- File extension: .ceylon
- Influenced by: Java, ML, Lisp, Smalltalk, and others

## FAQs

### Q: What is Ceylon programming language?
A: Ceylon is a statically-typed, object-oriented programming language that runs on the Java Virtual Machine. It combines features from Java with functional programming concepts and was created by Gavin King in 2011.

### Q: Who created Ceylon and why is it named that?
A: Ceylon was created by Gavin King, the same person who created the Hibernate framework. It's named after Sri Lanka, which was historically known as Ceylon.

### Q: What platforms does Ceylon support?
A: Ceylon primarily runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), though it's designed as a cross-platform language that can work on multiple operating systems.

## Why It Matters
Ceylon represents an important evolution in JVM-based programming languages, offering a modern alternative to Java with enhanced type safety, modularity, and functional programming features. Created by Gavin King, who previously revolutionized Java persistence with Hibernate, Ceylon addresses many of the shortcomings developers experienced with Java while maintaining compatibility with the vast Java ecosystem. Its design philosophy emphasizes readability, safety, and modularity, making it particularly valuable for large-scale enterprise applications. The language's development by Red Hat also demonstrates the company's commitment to advancing open-source technologies and providing developers with modern tools that can coexist with existing Java infrastructure. Ceylon's influence on subsequent JVM languages and its contribution to the ongoing evolution of programming paradigms make it a significant milestone in software development history.

## Notable For
- Created by Gavin King, the architect of Hibernate
- Combines object-oriented and functional programming paradigms
- Strong static typing with type inference capabilities
- Modular architecture with built-in modularity features
- Designed as a modern alternative to Java while maintaining JVM compatibility

## Body
### Development and History
Ceylon was publicly announced on April 9, 2011, during a keynote presentation in Beijing. The language was developed by Gavin King, who is also known for creating Hibernate, a widely-used Java persistence framework. The development was sponsored and supported by Red Hat, which continues to maintain the project.

### Technical Features
Ceylon is a statically-typed language that supports multiple programming paradigms including object-oriented, functional, and imperative programming. It features strong static typing with type inference, making it both safe and expressive. The language runs on the Java Virtual Machine and can interoperate seamlessly with existing Java libraries and frameworks.

### Language Design Philosophy
The language was designed to address common criticisms of Java while maintaining compatibility with the Java ecosystem. It emphasizes readability, safety, and modularity. Ceylon includes features like first-class functions, type inference, and a sophisticated module system that weren't available in earlier versions of Java.

### Community and Ecosystem
Ceylon has an active open-source community with its source code hosted on GitHub. The project maintains a website at ceylon-lang.org and has a presence on social media platforms like Twitter. The language has been packaged for various Linux distributions and is available through package managers like Homebrew.

### Current Status
As of 2017, the latest stable version was 1.3.3. While Ceylon has a dedicated user base and continues to be maintained, it faces competition from other JVM languages like Kotlin and Scala. The language remains an important option for developers seeking a modern alternative to Java with strong typing and functional programming features.

## Schema Markup
```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Thing",
  "name": "Ceylon",
  "description": "A statically-typed, object-oriented programming language that runs on the Java Virtual Machine",
  "url": "https://ceylon-lang.org/",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceylon_(programming_language)",
    "https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1066481"
  ],
  "additionalType": "Programming Language"
}

## References

1. [Source](http://ceylon-lang.org/community/companies/)
2. [Source](http://ceylon-lang.org/community/)
3. [Source](http://ceylon-lang.org/code/licenses/)
4. [The ceylon Open Source Project on Open Hub: Licenses Page. Open Hub](https://www.openhub.net/p/ceylon/licenses)
5. [The ceylon Open Source Project on Open Hub: Languages Page. Open Hub](https://www.openhub.net/p/ceylon/analyses/latest/languages_summary)
6. [Source](http://ceylon-lang.org/blog/2014/10/09/ceylon-1/#ceylon_110_is_now_available)
7. [Source](http://ceylon-lang.org/blog/2015/10/29/ceylon-1-2-0/#ceylon_120_is_now_available)
8. [Source](https://api.github.com/repos/ceylon/ceylon/releases)
9. [Source](http://ceylon-lang.org/documentation/1.1/spec/html_single/#runtimeandplatform)
10. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
11. [Source](https://gitter.im/ceylon/user?at=5660a7242cbea1d7054de9d9)
12. [Source](https://gitter.im/ceylon/user?at=5660a90e5057376520db6f8b)
13. [Source](http://ceylon-lang.org/documentation/1.2/faq/#what_is_ceylon)
14. [The Ceylon Language](http://ceylon-lang.org/documentation/1.1/spec/html_single/#compilationunitstructure)
15. [Source](https://web.archive.org/web/20110426195758/http://www.qconbeijing.com/download/Gavin%20keynote.pdf)
16. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)