# Jakt

> programming language

**Wikidata**: [Q114953637](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q114953637)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/jakt-q114953637

## Summary
Jakt is a programming language developed by Andreas Kling. It was developed for the SerenityOS project and was officially inceptioned in May 2022. The language is open-source, distributed under the 2-clause BSD License, and aims to provide memory safety.

## Key Facts
- **Developer:** Andreas Kling (Swedish programmer, born 1985).
- **Inception:** May 2022.
- **License:** 2-clause BSD License.
- **Instance of:** Programming language.
- **Source Repository:** https://github.com/SerenityOS/jakt
- **Purpose:** Communicating instructions to a machine with a focus on memory safety for SerenityOS.
- **Detailed Documentation:** Described at https://awesomekling.github.io/Memory-safety-for-SerenityOS/.

## FAQs
### Q: Who created the Jakt programming language?
A: Jakt was created by Andreas Kling, a Swedish programmer born in 1985. He is also the developer behind SerenityOS.

### Q: When was Jakt released?
A: The inception date for Jakt is recorded as May 2022.

### Q: What license is Jakt distributed under?
A: Jakt is distributed under the 2-clause BSD License.

## Why It Matters
Jakt represents a significant development in the operating system hobbyist community, specifically regarding the SerenityOS project. Its primary significance lies in its specific goal to address memory safety. While many modern languages aim for safety, Jakt is distinct because it was built explicitly to serve the needs of SerenityOS, offering a memory-safe alternative for system programming within that ecosystem.

By creating a custom toolchain, developer Andreas Kling aims to reduce the class of bugs related to memory management that are common in C++ codebases. This moves the project toward greater stability and security without abandoning the existing ecosystem entirely. The choice of the permissive 2-clause BSD License also encourages broad adoption and contribution from the open-source community, allowing the language to evolve rapidly alongside the operating system.

## Notable For
- **Memory Safety:** Specifically developed to address memory safety issues within SerenityOS.
- **Origin:** Created by Andreas Kling, the primary developer of SerenityOS.
- **Licensing:** Uses the permissive 2-clause BSD License rather than copyleft licenses like GPL.
- **Integration:** Deeply integrated with the SerenityOS development workflow.

## Body
### Development History
Jakt was developed by Andreas Kling, a Swedish programmer born in 1985. The project's inception date is listed as May 2022. The development was driven by the need for a language that could handle systems programming tasks with better memory safety guarantees than existing solutions used in the SerenityOS project.

### Technical Classification
Jakt is formally classified as a programming language, defined as a language for communicating instructions to a machine. It is an instance of a compiled language that translates high-level code into executable instructions.

### Availability and Source Code
The source code for Jakt is publicly hosted on GitHub under the SerenityOS organization. It is available at `https://github.com/SerenityOS/jakt`. The project is copyrighted but freely available under the 2-clause BSD License, permitting redistribution and use in source and binary forms. Detailed technical descriptions and the philosophy behind the language are documented at the project's official announcement URL.

## References

1. [GitHub](https://github.com/SerenityOS/jakt/blob/main/LICENSE)
2. [Source](https://awesomekling.github.io/Memory-safety-for-SerenityOS/)