Category:Brainf***

Also known as Brainfuck, but identified as Brainf*** for reasons described here. Created by Urban Müller in 1993 in an attempt to create the world's smallest Turing-complete compiler. It is noted as an esoteric programming language, as it is not ordinarily used for applications development, but it also noted as being a minimalist language.

The construct for the language is similar to a Turing Machine. The commands themselves act on an array or "tape" (usually a byte or integer array and usually "infinite" on one or both ends) and a pointer to a position in that array. The complete specification for the language can be summed up with the following eight symbols:

Character	Meaning
>	increment the pointer (to point to the next cell to the right).
<	decrement the pointer (to point to the next cell to the left).
+	increment (increase by one) the byte at the pointer.
-	decrement (decrease by one) the byte at the pointer.
.	output the value of the byte at the pointer (usually interpreted to a character).
,	accept one byte of input (usually interpreted from a character), storing its value in the byte at the pointer.
[	jump forward to the command after the corresponding ] if the byte at the pointer is zero.
]	jump back to the command after the corresponding [ if the byte at the pointer is nonzero.

Alternatively, the ] command may instead be translated as an unconditional jump to the corresponding [ command, or vice versa; programs will behave the same but will run more slowly.

All other symbols, including traditional whitespace characters, are interpreted as comments.

Due to this minimal instruction set, Brainf*** is used as an introduction to compilers and has even been successfully implemented as a microprocessor core and the foundation to an operating system using a slightly extended syntax for output.

[edit] See also

• RCBF - BF interpreters as a Rosetta Code task

[edit] Citations

• Esoteric languages wiki entry
• Wikipedia entry on Brainf***
• DMOZ Brainf*** category
• Brainf*** tutorial