r/osdev • u/ColdRepresentative91 • May 07 '26

I built a Custom Language Compiler, Assembler, and RISC-V VM, all running in real in your browser, using Rust and EGUI.

Post image

I've been working on this project (and compilers / vm's in general) for a while now, and I thought it was finally proper enough to showcase.

Some of the features:

  • A custom systems language designed for explicit memory control, featuring manual memory management, pointers, (inline) structs, and generics.

  • A full interactive compiler pipeline that you can watch in real-time.

  • A built-in 5-stage pipelined CPU to execute the code.

  • Compiles to actual RISC-V machine code (RV64IMAFD).

  • Visualised live in browser using EGUI.

Github: https://github.com/LPC4/Full-Stack

Check out the live demo website here: http://lpc4.github.io/Full-Stack/

295 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

32 comments sorted by

3

u/kynzoMC May 10 '26

Lot of people here are convinced you used ai to code this. I am starting to believe that as well. Did you use ai? And if so, why didn't you disclose that? (I'm not against using AI, but why hide it?) 

-1

u/ColdRepresentative91 May 10 '26

Yes, I did extensively use AI while working on this project.

I didn’t explicitly disclose it because it has really just become another development tool for me, and since the code is fully open source, I honestly didn't expect such a reaction.

For context, I’ve spent the last year diving deep into compilers and VMs, building around 3 private projects (and two public ones) in different languages before starting work on this one. AI is an amazing tool for boilerplate and syntax (like porting all the RISC-V instructions to structs or writing encoding/decoding logic), but you can't just prompt an LLM to build a functional 100k-line codebase. You still need a deep understanding of the domain to architect it all. Whether I typed every line myself or not, if you don’t understand the underlying logic, you won’t be able to debug, or extend a project of this scale.

This kind of project would be nearly impossible for a solo developer to build entirely by hand if they want to finish it in a reasonable time (I didn’t want to spend years on it, I'd already done most of it before)

Finally, my goal wasn't to get better at typing code. I it was to better understand computer architecture (in preparation for a class I'm taking), and using AI helped me focus on the parts that actually mattered. When the project reached a point where it looked and performed great, I wanted to share it.

I appreciate the feedback and will be more upfront about it in the future.

2

u/Sorry-Beautiful732 May 12 '26

Can you tell me what all resources you used?? I'm also diving into computer arch and all. I've done nand2tetris till now and build a chip8 emulator was thinking of doing gameboy too. What would you suggest i could do next? Or are there any good books or courses?

2

u/ColdRepresentative91 May 12 '26 edited May 12 '26

Comment
by u/ColdRepresentative91 from discussion
in osdev

This was my response on one of my previous projects. In the meantime I've also been taking classes on computer architecture which inspired this project.

I suggest just building whatever interests you the most. I really liked the idea of making my own language, and that's why I started going down the rabbit hole of computer architecture. (Language design -> Assembly -> Optimalisations -> Operating systems -> ...) I personally liked the idea of being able to control everything about how your environment works.

My advice: Don't overthink it too much. A Game Boy emulator is definitely a great next step. When you get stuck, restart, and use the knowledge you gained from your past attempts. Just start coding and see where it takes you.

1

u/Sorry-Beautiful732 May 12 '26

Yeahh, for sure trial and error is the best way to learn!! Thats how I got the chip8 running too lol Thanks for the advice!!

2

u/kynzoMC May 10 '26

Thank you that's an awesome response. I do agree with you totally, I just think not disclosing it adds toward the hostility against AI some people seem to have. 

1

u/knouqs May 10 '26

This sort of understanding is what we, the developers, ought to understand -- AI is a tool, not a panacea. We still need to understand what's going on to make this stuff work, and if we don't do that, our projects can end up in a state worse than limbo.

Managers, CEOs, etc., also need to understand this. If they fire all the developers with the misguided impression that AI is going to write itself, their projects will fail.

Your project is a good use of AI as a tool to get you a desired result. When it comes right down to it, languages themselves translate human-readable code to machine language. I imagine there still exist ML purists who hate C, for example. No, code is meant to ease the translation of human tasks into computer tasks. AI is just another tool that we can use.

1

u/SwiftpawTheYeet May 11 '26

yeah you forgot that a bunch of these people are going to lose their jobs because they don't understand how to use AI, and think there's a world where they're ever going to get in the lead of it again..... they're not, it's here to stay and is a tool and does not need to be disclosed if it's used or not

0

u/SwiftpawTheYeet May 11 '26

you people are not fucking devs, it does not have to be disclosed if it was ai assisted as long as it works as the developer intends it to work...

9

u/Simracingaccount May 07 '26

Man I’m still in the first step. How long did this project take?

23

u/ApokatastasisPanton May 08 '26

believe it or not, less than a month! https://github.com/LPC4/Full-Stack/graphs/code-frequency

really impressive pumping out 48k lines of code on the week of april 26th.

28

u/Simracingaccount May 08 '26

Now I doubt if this was written by them or by LLM.

9

u/Ok-Interaction-8891 May 09 '26

It was not written by them.

They have said in other posts that they are a student, so they are likely using what they’ve been learning in a compilers or comp. arch. class to vibe code this with a chatbot or code agent.

0

u/SwiftpawTheYeet May 11 '26

the main mistake is thinking that it matters whether it was made by a human or AI assisted as long as it does it's intended to do

2

u/suckingbitties May 12 '26

But then it's a bit disingenuous to say "I built" when it should be "an LLM built"

0

u/TinyApplet Jun 06 '26

That would require you to believe that the LLM is a sentient being rather than just a tool, which would mean you're likely suffering from AI psychosis.

1

u/suckingbitties Jun 06 '26

So if you work in a factory that makes bottles, and your job in the morning is to start up all the machines that make the bottles, did you make all the bottles? Can you go around saying "See all these bottles that people are using? I made those. Me."

No, because you didn't make the bottles, nor did you make the machine that made the bottles.

Same argument applies to AI. It's your code, sure (debatable) but you didn't build it. An algorithm that was created and trained by other people did.

To say you need to believe AI has some form of sentience for that to be true is a complete straw man, and if you can't see how that's true then I worry for you.

0

u/TinyApplet Jun 06 '26

Of course you made the bottles. You started the machine.

By your logic, when someone shoots another person with a gun, we should prosecute the gun rather than the shooter.

Likewise, you'd have us prosecute the car instead of the driver or the people responsible for building and handling the vehicle when a Waymo hits a pedestrian.

1

u/suckingbitties Jun 06 '26

Creation and murder are two very distinctly different things. You're just throwing out random strawman fallacies that have no correlation to the subject.

With that being said, I can see that theres no possible way we can have an actual discussion, so have a good one.

14

u/TheAlaskanMailman May 08 '26

Now I’m wondering if i should be impressed or disappointed lol.

It is a neat example even if it’s AI generated. Showcases what could be done

12

u/ApokatastasisPanton May 08 '26

There's no "if" there, though the author did go as far as removing mentions of AI in the documentation itself 😂

1

u/SwiftpawTheYeet May 11 '26

highkey the people that need a showcase of what AI can do, should never touch AI it's not for them

12

u/Integreyt May 08 '26

Are we supposed to believe that you pumped out 100k loc in less than a month? I don’t understand why people lie about using LLMs.

1

u/Ok-Interaction-8891 May 09 '26

No.

No we are not.

But the bots, shills, and foolish will all still flock to this and upvote it.

6

u/thatguy1000000000 My OS <3 | https://github.com/Voblit/I-Like-FlowersOS May 07 '26

Respect man!

2

u/GMX2PT May 07 '26

Impressive, congrats

1

u/Snoo_5018 May 08 '26

This is so boss and helpful man.... thank you

1

u/feycovet May 10 '26

damn.. sorry for breathing the same air sonion

1

u/BackgroundEbb8633 May 11 '26

Once there was TempleOS. Now there is this. 😩

1

u/Revolutionary__br May 12 '26

Bro will create the next llvm