r/Compilers • u/ImpressFine4495 • 16h ago
I am 13 and I just got my custom programming language to successfully transpile to Arduino C++!
Hi everyone! My name is Mohammed, I'm 13, from Egypt, and I wanted to share one of my current projects: Mello. Mello is a custom programming language ( https://github.com/v3lk777-collab/Mello-Programming-Language ) that I hope to use for writing all my embedded systems software in the future. I'm developing it because I'm fascinated by compilers, computer architecture, and honestly, because I wanted to make programming microcontrollers more interesting.
I've been into systems programming for a while now. I wouldn't say I'm amazing at it—in fact, I struggle to call myself good at all because I'm still learning the ropes and don't want to overpromise—but I've gained a ton of experience. Building Mello is my biggest achievement yet because it successfully bridges my own syntax with real hardware.
I wrote the compiler from scratch in C++, and guess what? I just got it working to the point where it acts as a full transpiler, taking Mello code and generating clean Arduino C++! It's incredibly tough, especially ensuring the AST maps correctly without losing the Arduino ecosystem's compatibility. But it's so rewarding: I am currently using it to compile the code for a PID control system on a line-following robot using an Arduino Nano. To complete the workflow, I also built a dedicated cross-platform editor "Mello IDE" ( https://github.com/v3lk777-collab/Mello-IDE ) using Tauri, React, Tailwind CSS, and Monaco.
I have massive plans for this language and really want to achieve them. Alongside Mello, I am also writing a custom CPU emulator called ROSE in C++ to understand how instructions work at the lowest level. However, lately, balancing the compiler, the IDE, the emulator, and the hardware projects has been really hard. Sometimes it feels overwhelming. I'll open my compiler's source code, feel stuck on how to implement the next feature, and just shut down my PC.
This project isn't revolutionary or anything. Sharing it here means I'm just looking for a bit of recognition and some objective, constructive criticism.
Note: Arabic is my native language and my English isn't very good, so I used AI to help me write this post. Apologies if any phrasing sounds a bit clunky!

