Getting Started

If you know your way around the command line, you’ll be fine. Sooner or later this will get even easier.

1. Install Python.

   To use Sophie, you’ll need Python already installed. You can get it from http://www.python.org. Yes, Python is one of those currently-popular first programming languages. It’s not evil; it’s just completely different. Sophie uses Python internally – for now. So when you finish up with Sophie, you’re still left with another popular language.

2. Install prerequisite modules.

   Sophie’s internals rely on a package called booze-tools. You can get it easily enough: From a command prompt, type:

   py -m pip install --upgrade booze-tools pygame
   

   and press enter. You’ll see a load of gibberish fly past. Assuming you’re not behind a restrictive firewall, the right things should have happened.

Got a Mac? Your mileage my vary

Like most people, my daily driver is a windows machine. So that’s how these directions are written. But working on a Macintosh is a little different. If you just saw -bash: py: command not found then you will probably need to spell out the word python instead of use the abbreviation py. (At least, that’s what my mac requires of me.) And also don’t forget the path separators are different. You’ll use the forward slash / instead of the backslash \. Keep those in mind, and you should be able to follow along.

3. Download the code for Sophie.

   Option One: Get a stable(ish) release

   Click here and fetch the most recent “Source code (zip)” asset to your computer somewhere you can find it easily.

   Option Two: Get a current snap-shot

   Save this link That’s a direct link to an up-to-the-minute version of all of Sophie. Fair warning: This version may contain new features and bugs. I’ll generally make a stable release before adding bugs though.

   If you’d prefer to browse the repository online, it’s here.

4. Extract the zip archive and place the juicy bits somewhere nice.

   Apparently GitHub bundles this up in several layers of sophie-main which you can strip out. (If you got a version-coded release, then main is replaced by the version-code.) Mainly, you’ll want the sophie folder.

5. You can try an example even without “installing”. Here’s how it looks in Windows command line:

   D:\>cd sophie-main\sophie-main
   
   D:\sophie-main\sophie-main>py -m sophie examples\turtle\turtle.sg
   

   Mac and Linux have something analogous.

   Note

   The turtle.sg example will spawn graphical windows.

6. Make Sophie accessible from anywhere. On the Windows command line:

   D:\sophie-main\sophie-main>py -m pip install -e .
   

   Now you can invoke Sophie from anywhere:

   D:\sophie-main\sophie-main>cd \
   
   D:\>sophie
   This is an interpreter for the Sophie programming language.
   
   usage: sophie [-h] [-c] [-x] program
   
   
   For example:
   
       sophie program.sg
   
   will run program.sg if possible, or else try to explain why not.
   
       sophie -h
   
   will explain all the arguments.
   
   For more information, see:
   
   Documentation: https://sophie.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
          GitHub: https://github.com/kjosib/sophie
   

7. Dive into Learn Sophie (by Example).

   The tutorial covers things from the ground up. It’s written with no assumptions that you know how to program. If you do already know some other language, be prepared to unlearn some of what you have learned.

8. Scrutinize the example code.

   I’d suggest reading and trying the examples in this order:

   • hello_world.sg

   • some_arithmetic.sg

   • newton.sg

   • primes.sg

   • turtle.sg

9. Teach your kids. Or your colleagues. Or your goldfish.

10. Contribute to the development and publicity efforts.

    Much has yet to be determined.

11. Write conference papers about how awesome Sophie is.

    or will be…