🐢 slowLang – Slower is Better

🌐 Try it in your browser, no install: https://sebin-gg.github.io/slowlang/

More work by the same author: sebin-gg.vercel.app.

Read the story behind it: I built a programming language that punishes you for typing too fast.

A sarcastic programming language and IDE that throws errors if you type too fast.
Complete with a screaming ASCII turtle, poetic output, and a sassy, minimalistic Python IDE.
Why rush, when your code can feel... meaningful?

🏆 Winner — TinkerHub Useless Projects 2.0 hackathon, built by CS students at College of Engineering Chengannur, Kerala, India.

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🧠 Basic Details

Team Name: XYZ

Team Members

• Team Lead: Sebin Mathew – College of Engineering Chengannur
• Abin Zachariah Abraham – College of Engineering Chengannur

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🚫 The Problem (that doesn't exist)

Most programming languages focus on speed, efficiency, and productivity,
leading to stressful coding habits and unrealistic expectations on typing speed.

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✅ The Solution (that nobody asked for)

slowLang introduces a language and IDE that enforces slow, mindful typing.
Typing too fast results in errors and angry turtle ASCII feedback.
It promotes "patience-oriented programming" with haikus, delays, and sarcastic praise.

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🔧 Technologies / Components Used

Software:

• Python (for IDE and core logic)
• Tkinter (for the fake IDE UI)

Libraries:

• keyboard
• time
• rich
• os, sys, re, argparse (optional)
• VS Code + Extensions

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⚙️ Installation

pip install -r requirements.txt

Tkinter comes with Python by default on Windows/macOS. On Linux, install via sudo apt install python3-tk.

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▶️ How to Run

Try the web demo (easiest):

Open https://sebin-gg.github.io/slowlang/ — the full IDE in your browser, same turtle, same rage, zero install. The desktop and web versions enforce identical rules.

Start the desktop IDE:

python ui-fakeide.py

IDE Features:

• Live typing speed enforcement:
  Type too fast and a turtle rage window will pop up with sarcastic feedback — and count down your 2-second lockout.
• Live WPM readout:
  The status line shows your rolling typing speed next to the turtle's verdict.
• Line numbers:
  A gutter tracks every line, so "near line N" politeness errors point somewhere real.
• Run code like Python:
  Use the "Run (like Python)" button to execute your code directly in the IDE. Rude code (no please() calls) is refused, just like the CLI.
• Load sample:
  One click fills the editor with a polite starter program.
• Gentle streak:
  Consecutive rage-free runs build a streak. Rage resets it. The turtle keeps score.
• Python color scheme and smart indentation:
  The editor highlights Python keywords, strings, comments, and builtins, and auto-indents after colons for blocks.
• Turtle moods:
  Different ASCII turtles for "too fast", "just right", and "too slow" typing.
• Intro popup:
  Shows a summary of features before you start coding.
  • Wisdom: • The compiler will sometimes pop words of wisdom after execution.

Web demo extras (https://sebin-gg.github.io/slowlang/):

• Mood face in the header, rage diary of the session, copy output/haiku buttons.
• Offline mode: no network means the tiny fallback runner steps in and says so.
• Randomness (lazy refusals, moods, haikus, loader jokes) is a feature, drawn from secure sources.

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🐢 Language & IDE Features

• Python-like syntax: Write and run code just like Python.
• Speed enforcement: Typing too fast triggers sarcastic errors and turtle rage (in a popup window in the IDE).
• Sarcastic feedback: Get sassy remarks and poetic haikus if you break the rules.
• Fake IDE: Includes a Tkinter-based IDE with live feedback, Python color scheme, and smart indentation.
• No PDF export, no .slow interpreter: All code is written and run directly in the IDE for a seamless, fun experience.

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🧪 How to Test the IDE

1. Start the IDE:

   python ui-fakeide.py
   

2. Type your code in the editor window.

   • If you type too fast, a turtle rage popup will appear and sarcastic feedback will be shown.
   • If you slow down, the turtle will be happy.

3. Run your code:

   • Click "Run (like Python)" to execute your code in the IDE.

To preview the web demo locally: python3 -m http.server --directory demo, then open http://localhost:8000.

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📝 Example Code

print("Hello, world!")
for i in range(3):
    print(i)
print("Done!")

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🖼️ Screenshots

Fake IDE window with turtle ASCII reacting to fast typing.

Sarcastic error: "Whoa there, Shakespeare. Try again... slower."

"Compiled" poetic output of slow-written code.

📹 Video

Demo Video Link

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Team Contributions

• Sebin Mathew – Typing speed engine, sarcasm handler, turtle rage ASCII
• Abin Zachariah Abraham – Fake IDE window UI, poetic output, emoji benchmark spoof

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🧑‍🎓 What We Learned

• UI/UX matters, even for joke projects:
  Making a fun, interactive, and visually engaging IDE (with popups, color schemes, and ASCII art) is as important as the core logic.
• Python’s Tkinter is powerful and flexible:
  We learned how to build a custom code editor with syntax highlighting, smart indentation, and dynamic feedback using only standard libraries.
• Injecting humor into code is a design challenge:
  Balancing sarcasm, fake delays, and playful feedback without frustrating the user too much required careful tuning.
• Code structure and modularity:
  Separating sarcasm, ASCII art, and UI logic into different files made the project easier to maintain and extend.
• Testing for edge cases:
  We had to handle cases like re-enabling the editor after errors, and making sure the turtle’s moods always matched the user’s typing speed.
• Collaboration and version control:
  Using GitHub for collaboration, code reviews, and version management helped us work efficiently as a team.

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Made with ❤️ at TinkerHub Useless Projects

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📐 System Architecture

slowlang uses a real-time event-driven engine to monitor keystroke velocity and enforce cadence:

graph LR
    Key[Keystrokes] --> Engine[Typing Velocity Engine]
    Engine --> Check{WPM > Limit?}
    Check -- Yes --> Penalty[ASCII Rage & Delay]
    Check -- No --> Zen[Haiku & Execution]

Detailed state machine diagrams and runtime architecture documented in ARCHITECTURE.md.

🔒 Security

This repository uses gitleaks for automatic secret scanning on every commit.

Pre-commit Hook

A pre-commit hook is configured to scan for secrets before each commit. This helps prevent accidentally committing sensitive information like:

• API keys
• Passwords
• Tokens
• Private keys

Setup

To enable the pre-commit hook locally:

# Install pre-commit
pip install pre-commit

# Install hooks
pre-commit install

Bypass (Emergency Only)

In case of emergency, you can bypass the hook:

git commit --no-verify -m "emergency commit"

⚠️ Only use --no-verify in emergency situations. Regular commits should always be scanned.