Jcon: A Java-Based Icon Implementation

Jcon is a Java-based implementation of the Icon programming language. The Jcon translator, written in Icon, generates Java class files that execute in conjunction with a run-time system written in Java.

Jcon 2.1 was released in September of 1999 and there have been few changes since them. It is not formally supported but you are welcome to experiment with it.

Jcon is an essentially complete implementation of Icon, including large integers. A few minor features are missing — mostly things like chdir() that cannot be done in Java. Graphics are included, but this part of the system shows its age and can be frustrating to use.

Java implementations have improved considerably since the original Jcon release, and the Jcon implementation now typcially outperforms the C implementation for those few Icon programs that are CPU-bound.

Jcon was designed and implemented by Todd Proebsting and Gregg Townsend with contributions from Denise Todd and Bob Alexander. The design is discussed in this SP&E paper.


System Requirements
  • Jcon runs on Unix systems (including Mac) using a Posix shell
  • Jcon requires Icon 9.3 and “Java 6” (Java v1.6) or newer versions
Jcon Software
  • Jcon is distributed in source form from GitHub
  • Updates are continual and sporadic, without formal releases
  • The last formal release was 1999 (gzipped tar file)
Documentation


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