DEV Community

Cover image for Ever wished programming languages spoke more like humans?
Emmanuel Lijo
Emmanuel Lijo

Posted on

Ever wished programming languages spoke more like humans?

What if coding could feel natural, intuitive, and beginner-friendly—without losing the power of traditional programming? That’s exactly why I created Jam, a programming language designed to lower the barrier for new coders while keeping the fun alive for pros.

Why Jam exists

When I first started learning programming, I realized that many beginners struggle not because programming is “hard,” but because languages feel unnatural. Syntax errors, weird symbols, and abstract concepts often discourage new learners.

I wanted something that:

  • Reads more like natural language
  • Lets beginners focus on logic and creativity, not syntax headaches
  • Can be run in a web-based IDE for instant results

What Jam can do

Jam is simple but powerful:

  • Variables & control flow: if, repeat, etc.
  • Functions, including anonymous functions
  • Functional utilities like map for working with lists
  • Randomization & math tools for interactive programs
  • Interaction commands: say and ask to create text-based experiences

All of this runs in a web IDE, so you can see your programs work instantly without any setup.

Try a tiny snippet

Here’s a simple example that asks for your name and greets you:

print "Hello World"
repeat 5 {
    print "This will print 5 times"
}
Enter fullscreen mode Exit fullscreen mode

Easy to read, right? And it works immediately in the browser!

Check it out

You can try Jam yourself here: Try Jam IDE
For source code and contributing: Source

I’d love to hear your feedback, ideas, or even your first Jam program. Let’s make programming more human-friendly together!

Top comments (0)