Welcome to Zith

Quick Start

New to Zith? Start here:

1. Why Zith? - Learn why Zith is great for systems programming
2. Installation - Set up Zith on your machine
3. Quick Start - Write your first program

What is Zith?

Zith is a statically-typed systems programming language designed for developers who want:

• Explicit control flow without hidden magic
• Zero-cost abstractions that don't compromise performance
• Memory safety through a simple ownership model (no garbage collection)
• Modern tooling with a built-in package manager and language server

Zith starts simple—like C—but scales gracefully to handle complex systems with features like components, entities, and contexts for safe DSLs.

Key Features

🎯 Expressivity

Every language construct communicates intent clearly:

fn process(mut self: Health, dmg: view u16) { }
         // ^ explicit ownership: view = read-only

🛡️ Safety Through Typing

The compiler detects errors through rigorous semantics:

let health: unique u16 = alloc.new(100);
let ref: view u16 = health;

ref += 10;  // Compile Error: view does not allow writing

🧩 Optional Complexity

Start simple, add features when needed:

// Basic: functions like C
fn add(a: i32, b: i32): i32 { a + b }

// Advanced: ECS when appropriate
component Position { x, y: i32 }
entity Player { Position, ... }

🔮 Contexts for Safe DSLs

Domain-specific languages without strings or injection:

context SQL {
    use infix = SQL.operators;
    infix operator SELECT(cols);
}

use context SQL {
    result = SELECT * FROM users WHERE age > 18;
}

🎬 Scenes as Logical Units

Isolated resource containers for games and applications:

scene MainMenu { /* isolated resources */ }
scene GameLevel { /* isolated resources */ }
scene PauseMenu { /* isolated resources */ }

Who Is Zith For?

✅ Beginners learning low-level programming
✅ Game developers building engines and tools
✅ Systems programmers who want clarity without sacrificing control
✅ DSL designers creating domain-specific languages

What Zith Is Not

❌ A direct replacement for Rust (Rust offers stronger safety guarantees)
❌ A "better C++" (C++ has a massive ecosystem)
❌ A garbage-collected language (zero overhead is a priority)
❌ Suited for pure functional programming

Next Steps

I want to...	Go to...
Understand why Zith matters	Why Zith?
Install Zith	Installation
Write my first program	Quick Start
See CLI commands	CLI Reference

| Learn the language | Language Guide |

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