INim VS badger

- `nim secret`[0]: code is interpreted with Nim's vm, it is limited to compile-time (e.g. no C/C++).

- `nlvm r`[1]: nlvm backend supports JIT compilation and repl-like interface was added in latest release.

- `inim`[2]: supports all nim code, but it's not really a true repl. It adds code to a file and recompiles it (you can see the source file with `ctrl+x`). I'd recommend to use it with clang compiler, because it's a bit faster than gcc in my experience. It's the best option right now. And I use it almost daily.

First two options have rudimentary input system. But you can get command history and left-right navigation by wrapping them with rlwrap (should be preinstalled on most *nixes): `rlwrap nim secret`, `rlwrap nlvm r`.

There are plans to support incremental compilation for the next Nim release (it is currently broken). That would improve inim and other repls experience significantly.

[0]: https://nim-lang.org/docs/manual.html#restrictions-on-compil...

[1]: https://forum.nim-lang.org/t/10697

[2]: https://github.com/inim-repl/INim

Go must be terrible to google too! Nim's easy to google though, it's how I got to rust really. I'm actually the maintainer of inim, the nim repl: https://github.com/inim-repl/INim

Nothing about the entire ecosystem I was talking about. But my initial work on the keyboard firmware can be found here: https://github.com/PMunch/badger/tree/final. There are many different projects in Nim running on microcontrollers though, but not something on a common ecosystem.

HHL?

Well no language is perfect, but Nim can be used in almost every domain because of it's compilation targets(C, C++, JS) and it's fast compile times(who needs interpretation when compile times are that fast!):

* Shell scripting, I still assume most people will just use Bash tho: https://github.com/Vindaar/shell

* Frontend: https://github.com/karaxnim/karax or you could bind to an existing JS library.

* Backend: For something Flask-like: https://github.com/dom96/jester or something with more defaults https://github.com/planety/prologue

* Scientific computing: the wonderful SciNim https://github.com/SciNim

* Blockchain: Status has some of the biggest Nim codebases currently in production https://github.com/status-im?q=&type=&language=nim&sort=

* Gamedev: Also used in production: https://github.com/pragmagic/godot-nim and due to easy C and C++ interop, you get access to a lot of gamedev libraries!

* Embedded: this is a domain I know very little about but for example https://github.com/elcritch/nesper or https://github.com/PMunch/badger for fun Nim+embedded stuff!

Most of the disadvantages come from tooling and lack of $$$ support.

I think the fact that Nim compiles to C is neat in that you can use it on any platform that has a C compiler.

Here is a recent project that uses nim for AVR platforms, for example: https://github.com/PMunch/badger