ZER

Language support for ZER — a systems language for embedded and low-level work that keeps C's syntax and compiles to portable C99.

Zero setup. The compiler, the language server and a portable GCC are bundled. Install, open a .zer file, start writing.

Why ZER?

• Performance: No garbage collector, no runtime, no hidden allocation. Compiles to C99 and hands the result to GCC, so every target GCC supports is a target ZER supports. Checks that can be proven at compile time emit no code at all.

• Reliability: Every wrong use of a value in ZER source is caught at the use site — bounds, lifetime, ownership, provenance, qualifiers, context. Each one is a compile error or a runtime trap; nothing corrupts silently. There is no unsafe keyword to step outside it.

• Ease of use: If you can read C, you can read ZER. No lifetime annotations, no borrow syntax — the compiler infers what it needs.

Quick start

Create hello.zer:

i32 printf(const *u8 fmt, ...);

u32 main() {
    u8[4] buf;
    for (u32 i = 0; i < 4; i += 1) { buf[i] = (u8)(i * 2); }
    printf("%d\n", (i32)buf[3]);
    return 0;
}

Then, in a terminal:

zerc hello.zer --run        # compile and run
zerc hello.zer -o hello.c   # emit C instead

What this extension gives you

Syntax highlighting, and a language server providing diagnostics as you type, hover, go-to-definition, completion and document symbols.

ZER: Open Language Reference in the command palette opens the full reference.

Settings

If the language server does not start, zer.lspPath is the first thing to check — a stale path left over from an earlier install overrides the bundled binary.

Links

• GitHub
• Language reference
• Known limitations

License: MPL-2.0 with Runtime Exception. Firmware you compile with ZER is yours — the emitted C and the resulting binaries carry no license inheritance.