Foreword

Programming languages shape how we think about problems and express solutions. Mana was born from a simple observation: modern systems programming shouldn't require choosing between power and clarity.

Too often, developers face a false dichotomy. High-level languages offer expressiveness and safety but sacrifice control. Low-level languages provide performance and precision but demand constant vigilance against subtle bugs. Mana rejects this trade-off.

Drawing inspiration from the best ideas in language design, Mana combines:

• Rust's ownership model for memory safety without garbage collection
• Go's simplicity in syntax and tooling
• Python's readability through clean, intuitive constructs
• ML's expressiveness with algebraic data types and pattern matching

The result is a language that feels familiar yet powerful. Whether you're building operating systems, game engines, web servers, or command-line tools, Mana gives you the control you need without the complexity you don't.

This book will guide you from your first "Hello, World!" program through building real applications. Along the way, you'll discover that systems programming can be both safe and enjoyable.

Welcome to Mana. Let's build something amazing.

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The Mana Language Team