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< All Decisions

Stdlib Distribution & Import Resolution — Design Rationale

Panel Deliberation

The import resolution algorithm (§10.5) specified local src/ resolution and blink.lock dependency resolution but had no mechanism for standard library modules. This gap blocked stdlib modules (std.toml, std.semver) from being importable outside of the compiler's own src/ directory.

Q1: Where does the stdlib physically live? (4-1 for D: virtual/implicit dependency)

  • Sys (A): Alongside compiler binary in <blinkc_dir>/stdlib/. Hermetic, relocatable, matches Go/Zig.
  • Web (D): Virtual dependency. Zero new concepts — stdlib is just deps you didn't have to declare. Go's approach.
  • PLT (D): Uniform module semantics. No special resolution step. Effect system needs zero special cases.
  • DevOps (D): Virtual dep backed by <blinkc_dir>/lib/std/. LSP and compiler share same path. CI needs zero config.
  • AI (D): Virtual dep. Implementation detail hidden from import syntax. Eliminates "where is my stdlib?" debugging.

(dissent: Sys — preferred explicit filesystem colocating over virtual abstraction, citing Go's GOROOT/src/ simplicity)

Q2: What is the import syntax for stdlib? (3-2 for A: std prefix)

  • Sys (A): std. prefix eliminates ambiguity. blink. prefix collides with language name. Matches Rust std::.
  • Web (C): blink. prefix — spec already shows import blink.http in §10.5 examples. No new naming convention. (dissent)
  • PLT (A): std. prefix avoids open namespace problems. OCaml retrofitted Stdlib.List for exactly this reason.
  • DevOps (A): std. prefix — matches std/ org on registry (§8.9.2). import std.http → std/http package.
  • AI (C): blink. prefix — existing spec examples are the training data. Changing creates contradiction. (dissent)

Clarifying note: §8.9.7 explicitly states "import paths follow the org/name structure: import std.http maps to the std/http package." The blink.* namespace in §10.6 (blink.core, blink.ffi) is reserved for compiler-internal pseudo-modules, not distributable packages. The existing spec is consistent with the std prefix.

Q3: What is the resolution order? (3-2 for C: stdlib is a dep, no new step)

  • Sys (A): Local → stdlib → deps → error. Stdlib is trusted toolchain code, should shadow deps for security.
  • Web (C): Local → deps (stdlib included) → error. No new resolution step, uniform mental model.
  • PLT (C): Stdlib-as-dep. Scales to Tier 2/3 without semantic boundary changes.
  • DevOps (A): Local → stdlib → deps → error. With escape hatch: explicit blink.toml pinning overrides bundled version. (dissent)
  • AI (C): Stdlib-as-dep. One resolution algorithm, zero special cases.

(dissent: Sys — wanted explicit stdlib priority for supply-chain security. DevOps — wanted stdlib step for clearer error messages on corrupted installs)

Resolution

Stdlib modules are distributed alongside the compiler binary in <blinkc_dir>/lib/std/. The compiler treats them as implicit dependencies injected into the dependency graph before resolution. Import syntax uses the std prefix: import std.toml, import std.semver. The resolution algorithm remains unchanged — local src/ first, then all dependencies (including implicit stdlib entries), then error. See §10.7 for the full specification.