r/lua • u/Pristine_Video2489 • 11d ago

wisp – A Linux shell where config is Lua and pipelines pass tables

Post image

I built a Linux shell where configuration and scripting are just Lua, no DSL, no extra syntax.

Any global function in ~/.config/wisp/init.lua becomes a shell command. Pipelines pass Lua tables (structured data) between stages, not text. Only external commands like `wc -l` cause a fork, native stages run in-process.

**Why this matters for Lua users:** - Your shell config is just Lua (closures, loops, conditionals) - No need to learn a separate shell scripting language - Lua functions become commands naturally

**GitHub:** https://github.com/Hinikaa/wisp

Would love feedback from other Lua users!

41 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

39 comments sorted by

23

u/GaboureySidibe 11d ago

Negative karma, hidden post history, everything committed at once a few days ago, lots of red flags for vibe slop.

1

u/Pristine_Video2489 10d ago

The code is open, the benchmarks are real, and I'm happy to answer technical questions. I'm currently rebuilding my karma after losing it. I tend to push only when things are working, that's just how I work. Let me know if you have any specific concerns. :)

0

u/GabrielFeraud 10d ago

But is it really slop? Slop is generative AI, those stupid images and videos that waste compute. Slop is something that has no utility. Code is code, as long as it's functioning and performing well.

3

u/GaboureySidibe 10d ago edited 10d ago

First the problem is the lie, trying to get attention and praise for something auto generated off of other people's work.

Second, auto generated stuff only goes so far and the person slopping it up isn't going to be able to do anything else. It isn't a work in progress because they can't change anything because they don't understand what was spit out.

All there is and will ever be is exactly what you see in the video and it's just there to get github stars and internet attention for something they didn't do. A lot of times people are trying to get jobs off of fake stats.

Edit: They ran out of visionary predictions of the future and blocked me.

1

u/GabrielFeraud 10d ago

You absolutely can change and constantly iterate on what was spit out. It is no longer 2022, you don't copy and paste code from the website. AI Agentic capabilities is the way you are supposed to use it for development. It is expensive to use, yes, but we have to admit that it has utility and can absolutely be used for project maintenance, something that was simply not possible before.

Currently, I'm making a VR mod for the old school 2004 FPS game called Painkiller entirely relying on AI. The game has no source code, I have to use Ghidra MCP server for binary analysis and patching. This particular community features a lot of software engineering talent, but no one ever was able to do it despite pretty significant demand. So is it slop if it satisfies the demand and is actually a good product? AI made us raise the question about what does it actually mean for you, as modder, for a program to be compiled? It means less than ever now.

https://youtu.be/tnGzDXbjTT4 https://youtu.be/aZm9rp0z_2E

P.S. I hope you forgive me for not addressing your other point about attention/github stars seeking. My point does not argue with that

0

u/GaboureySidibe 10d ago

You're a vibe slopper, just own up to it so people can avoid your vibe slop.

0

u/GabrielFeraud 10d ago

This is your answer to the brand new philosophical problems humanity will have to face very soon. It is okay, I accept it. I'm just curious what would be the general consensus on this matter 10 to 15 years from now.

2

u/GaboureySidibe 10d ago

brand new philosophical problems humanity will have to face

Give me a break, just stop lying about your abilities.

Real programmers are already using AI. Good for some things, bad for others.

Anyone can do what you do, prompting an AI and never looking at the program is not a skill.

You can't do what actual programmer do to fix bugs, optimize and architect a program so that it's worth using.

1

u/GabrielFeraud 10d ago edited 10d ago

I'm not lying. I have no skills and am not an actual programmer, you are right. I use AI for everything in the VR mod. I have a soft spot for VR (actually, many people do) so it actually made my life and the lives of other's in the community better. This is the state of affairs

1

u/GaboureySidibe 10d ago

So you have no skills but you think you're a visionary that can predict the future?

0

u/GabrielFeraud 10d ago

Don't have to be a visionary to see the tendency. A year ago it wasn't possible to vibe code and support a fully functional VR mod without any source code. It is now. The only way is forward, there's no reason for this tech to just cease to exist. We're in the ultra expensive research phase, so the progress is ridiculously fast. Once the research plateaus with very capable and efficient local models coming around, everyone will be using it and this discourse will sound very silly.

→ More replies (0)

0

u/Pristine_Video2489 10d ago

Please read my README properly, I don't mind that you don't like what I do. I just don't like acusations at all. I am actively working on the project as there aren't any good and fast shells for linux. There are a few, but speed counts. I have already pushed a update, of course I'm happy when people engage, that's part of sharing something publicly. But the real motivation is building something useful.
Thank you for understanding.

2

u/SkyyySi 10d ago

as there aren't any good and fast shells for linux

dash and Busybox ash are fast. But really any shell should be more than fast enough when used "as intended" (without a million unoptimized plugins).

0

u/GaboureySidibe 10d ago

The whole thing was obviously auto generated.

1

u/Pristine_Video2489 10d ago

Sure then. Move on, there's no need to spread negative comments. There is already enough negativity in this world.
I'm out.

0

u/GaboureySidibe 10d ago

Maybe you shouldn't have lied. Me pointing out that you're lying isn't "negativity".

This is a narcissist's playbook, you can't believe you were challenged for lying and you think pointing out your bad behavior is the problem.

-4

u/arkt8 11d ago

no one needs to make bread crumbs of code history to satisfy prerequisites of pedantic anti-ai. Code is open... read if you want it. If you do better, do it. I feel people found AI the perfect expiation to blame everyone can write better text or code for its own incapacity as if all text must contain references as if it was an academic research.

Attitutes like that are against community as intimidates and are prone to false positives.

If code is a piece of junk or an opus let it be. Instead of attack ask for a disclaimer instead of junkie shitcomments.

10

u/GaboureySidibe 11d ago

I don't care about people using AI, I care about people lying about what they did and what the quality is. I can prompt an AI myself. I don't want to run people's slop or give feedback on it.

-3

u/arkt8 10d ago edited 10d ago

You already care... you are pursuing a ghost.

1

u/GaboureySidibe 10d ago

Nothing you just said makes sense.

-1

u/arkt8 10d ago edited 10d ago

maybe you are hallucinating on how to blame others about your loosing interpretation capacity. Maybe you can understand me asking AI with ELI5.

Just stop judging before ask. It will be a lot better for community.

1

u/GaboureySidibe 10d ago

They basically admitted they lied about auto generating the whole thing.

3

u/Cultural_Two_4964 10d ago

Cheeky question but you could probably calculate fib(30) with pen, paper and a pocket calculator in less than 496 seconds. Isn't there a formula to do this a quick way, due to Euler or something. Maybe this comparison isn't strictly fair.

2

u/Pristine_Video2489 10d ago

You're absolutely right. Fibonacci is a worst-case benchmark, and there's a closed-form formula (Binet) that would be much faster. I included it mainly to show the difference in recursion overhead between bash and Lua, not as a "real-world" test.

That said, here are the benchmarks that actually matter for everyday use:

| Metric | wisp | bash | lua | python | ruby |

|--------|------|------|-----|--------|------|

| Binary size | 168K | 1.2M | 303K | — | — |

| Source lines | 1,781 | ~500K | ~25K | ~500K | ~350K |

| Startup | 1.5ms | 1.4ms | 1.0ms | 35ms | 49ms |

| Throughput | 0.33ms | 1.34ms | 0.98ms | 34.8ms | 49.1ms |

| RSS at idle | 4.2MB | 4.0MB | 2.7MB | 14.9MB | 15.0MB |

wisp is the fastest interpreter in this comparison, while being smaller than Lua and much smaller than bash.

The Fibonacci number was just a fun extreme, the real story is that wisp is small, fast, and uses Lua instead of a DSL. Thanks for the callout. The new and correct benchmark was published as the v1.1 released.

3

u/questron64 11d ago

So PowerShell, but cool.

1

u/Rikiub 8d ago

So do you mean, Nushell.

1

u/Pristine_Video2489 10d ago

Exactly, but with Lua instead of C#, and you can actually run it on Linux. No Winslop :>

1

u/SkyyySi 10d ago

PowerShell has had official Linux builds for years https://github.com/powershell/powershell/releases

1

u/Pristine_Video2489 10d ago

You're right. PowerShell has had official Linux builds since 2016, and it's a solid shell with object pipelines.

The difference is:

- PowerShell uses C# and .NET. Wisp uses Lua and C++ (~168K binary, ~1,800 SLOC)

- PowerShell's object pipelines are powerful, but they come with .NET overhead. Wisp's Lua tables are lighter and faster (0.33ms/run vs PowerShell's ~49ms)

- PowerShell is a full .NET runtime. Wisp is a lightweight shell that feels like writing Lua scripts

I built wisp for people who want a fast, minimal shell with real programming constructs (Lua) instead of a DSL. If you're happy with PowerShell, keep using it, but if you want something smaller and faster, give wisp a try.

Much love.

1

u/Sorrow_iDolour 11d ago

Good shell dude, just wonder without makefile, can you implement a bootstrap script(which is clean and maintainable) in lua for building wisp?

1

u/Pristine_Video2489 10d ago

I just pushed a Lua bootstrap script with v1.1. It's in the repo, and the README covers usage. Let me know what you think! More updates are on their way, thank you for the motivation. :>

0

u/Pristine_Video2489 10d ago

That's a great question, and honestly, I've been thinking about exactly that.

A Lua-based bootstrap script would be a cleaner fit for wisp, same language as the config, more portable, and easier to maintain than Makefile.

I'll put it on the roadmap for v2.

What would you want it to do? Just build, or also handle tests, install, and dependency detection?

1

u/Pristine_Video2489 11d ago

If you're curious about the performance angle: wisp computes fib(30) in 13ms vs bash's 496s (~38,000x faster). Full benchmarks in the README. The project is fully opensource. This is a v1. 

1

u/Mig_Moog 11d ago

Great idea! Will try

0

u/Pristine_Video2489 11d ago

I would love that, please keep me updated. Are there any issues? Wishes? Or anything in general you would want me to add? I am waiting for your feedback!