Facebook Rolls Out New PHP-like Programming Language
New Hack language adds static typing and other conveniences.
Facebook has released an open source version of Hack, a programming language for the HHVM run-time platform. HHVM is a virtual machine for PHP created by Facebook. According to Facebook's Julien Verlaguet, Hack developed as a way for Facebook to address the problem of delivering accurate code in a timely manner at the vast scale of a company like Facebook. “Could early error detection co-exist with rapid iteration, all the while preserving our investment in PHP? Could improved code analysis and introspection help make developers more productive with tools like auto-complete?”
Verlaguet's blog post goes on to explain that "Hack has deep roots in PHP …. In fact, most PHP files are already valid Hack files." The main innovation added with Hack is static typing. Hack’s type system adds features such as generics, nullable types, type aliasing, and contraints on type parameters. Hack also adds Collections (a type-safe alternative to PHP arrays), lambda expressions, and run-time enforcement of return types and parameter types.
Facebook says it has already migrated nearly all its PHP codebase to Hack.
The Hack source code is available at the project website.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.