plankalkul 0.2.1
Interpreter for Plankalkul, the first high-level programming language (Konrad Zuse, 1945)
License: MIT
Requires Python: >=3.8
Keywords: plankalkul, zuse, historical, programming-language, interpreter, 1945

# Plankalkul Interpreter

[![PyPI](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/plankalkul)](https://pypi.org/project/plankalkul/)
[![Language](https://img.shields.io/badge/Language-Python%203.8+-blue)](https://python.org)
[![Historical](https://img.shields.io/badge/Historical-1945-gold)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plankalk%C3%BCl)
[![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/License-MIT-green)](LICENSE)

**The first high-level programming language, running again.**

Plankalkul ("Plan Calculus") was designed by Konrad Zuse between 1942-1945. Building on the pioneering work of **Rojas et al. (FU Berlin, 2000)** who created the first implementation, this package provides an accessible Python interface.

## Installation

```bash
pip install plankalkul
```

## Quick Start

```python
from plankalkul import run

# Calculate factorial
result = run('''
    P1 factorial (V0[:8.0]) => R0[:8.0]
        1 => R0[:8.0]
        1 => Z0[:8.0]
        W [ Z0[:8.0] * R0[:8.0] => R0[:8.0]
            Z0[:8.0] + 1 => Z0[:8.0] ] (Z0[:8.0] <= V0[:8.0])
    END
''', 5)

print(result['R0'])  # 120
```

Or run from command line:

```bash
plankalkul  # Runs demo programs
```

## Why This Matters

| Feature | Plankalkul (1945) | First "Modern" Language |
|---------|-------------------|------------------------|
| Data structures | Yes | C (1972): 27 years later |
| User-defined types | Yes | C (1972): 27 years later |
| Assertions | Yes | Eiffel (1986): 41 years later |
| Structured control | Yes | ALGOL (1960): 15 years later |

The first language had features that took decades to "reinvent".

## Language Syntax

### Program Structure

```
P<number> <name> (<parameters>) => <returns>
    <statements>
END
```

### Variables

| Prefix | Meaning |
|--------|---------|
| `V0`, `V1`... | Input parameters |
| `Z0`, `Z1`... | Local/intermediate variables |
| `R0`, `R1`... | Return values |

### Type Annotations

```
[:8.0]      ; 8-bit integer
[:1.0]      ; 1-bit (boolean)
[:16.0]     ; 16-bit integer
[:n×m.0]    ; n×m array
```

### Operations

| Operation | Symbol | ASCII Alternative |
|-----------|--------|-------------------|
| Assignment | `→` | `=>` |
| Multiply | `×` | `*` |
| Divide | `:` | `/` |
| Not equal | `≠` | `!=` |
| Less/equal | `≤` | `<=` |
| Greater/equal | `≥` | `>=` |
| Logical AND | `∧` | `&` |
| Logical OR | `∨` | `\|` |
| Logical NOT | `¬` | `!` |

### Control Flow

**Conditional:**
```
(condition) => statement
```

**While loop:**
```
W [ statements ] (condition)
```

**Counted loop (W1):**
```
W1 (count) => counter_var { statements }
```

The W1 loop iterates from 0 to count-1, storing the current iteration in counter_var.
This syntax was reconstructed from academic implementations based on Zuse's manuscripts.

## Example Programs

### Maximum of Two Numbers (Zuse's Original)

```
P1 max (V0[:8.0], V1[:8.0]) => R0[:8.0]
    V0[:8.0] => R0[:8.0]
    (R0[:8.0] < V1[:8.0]) => V1[:8.0] => R0[:8.0]
END
```

### Factorial

```
P2 factorial (V0[:8.0]) => R0[:8.0]
    1 => R0[:8.0]
    1 => Z0[:8.0]
    W [ Z0[:8.0] * R0[:8.0] => R0[:8.0]
        Z0[:8.0] + 1 => Z0[:8.0] ] (Z0[:8.0] <= V0[:8.0])
END
```

### Sum of 1 to N

```
P3 sum (V0[:8.0]) => R0[:8.0]
    0 => R0[:8.0]
    1 => Z0[:8.0]
    W [ R0[:8.0] + Z0[:8.0] => R0[:8.0]
        Z0[:8.0] + 1 => Z0[:8.0] ] (Z0[:8.0] <= V0[:8.0])
END
```

### Factorial using W1 (Advanced Syntax)

```
P Factorial(V0[:8.0]) => R0[:8.0]
    1 => R0[:8.0]
    W1 (V0[:8.0]) => Z0[:8.0] {
        R0[:8.0] * (Z0[:8.0] + 1) => R0[:8.0]
    }
END
```

This advanced syntax comes from the Hovestar implementation, reconstructed from Zuse's manuscripts.

## Historical Context

### Timeline

| Year | Event |
|------|-------|
| 1936 | Zuse builds Z1 (mechanical computer) |
| 1941 | Z3 completed (first programmable computer) |
| 1942-45 | Plankalkül designed |
| 1943 | Z3 destroyed in Allied bombing |
| 1945 | WWII ends, Zuse flees with Z4 |
| 1948 | Zuse writes manuscript "Der Plankalkül" |
| 1972 | Plankalkül published |
| 2000 | First implementation (FU Berlin) |
| 2025 | This implementation (The Ian Index) |

### Why It Was Forgotten

1. **War**: Designed during WWII, destroyed in bombing
2. **Language barrier**: Written in German
3. **Isolation**: Zuse didn't know about Turing or von Neumann
4. **Politics**: Work in Nazi Germany carried stigma
5. **Commercial failure**: No resources to implement

### What Zuse Got Right

Plankalkul had features that took decades to "reinvent":

- **Data structures** (like C structs): reinvented 27 years later
- **User-defined types**: reinvented 27 years later  
- **Assertions**: reinvented 41 years later
- **Strong typing**: reinvented 25 years later
- **Structured control flow**: reinvented 15 years later

## Technical Details

### Architecture

```
Source Code → Lexer → Tokens → Parser → AST → Interpreter → Result
```

### Implementation

- **Lexer**: Handles both Unicode (→, ×, ≤) and ASCII (=>, *, <=) notation
- **Parser**: Recursive descent parser
- **Interpreter**: Tree-walking interpreter with variable scoping
- **Type System**: Basic type checking (integers, booleans, arrays)

## License

MIT License — completing Zuse's public domain vision.

## Related Projects

🎮 **[Zuse Chess (1942)](https://zaneham.github.io/zuse-chess-1942/)** — Play Konrad Zuse's chess algorithm in your browser. The first chess program ever written, reconstructed from 78 pages of original manuscripts.

## References

1. Zuse, K. (1948). "Der Plankalkül"
2. Rojas, R. et al. (2000). "Plankalkül: The First High-Level Programming Language and its Implementation"
3. Bauer, F.L. & Wössner, H. (1972). "The 'Plankalkül' of Konrad Zuse: A Forerunner of Today's Programming Languages"

---

*"The significance of Plankalkül lies not in what it became, but in what it could have been."*

**Konrad Zuse deserves to be remembered.**