Imagine Building an App Just by Describing It in English!
Hello everyone, John here! Today, we’re diving into a really exciting piece of news that could change how we create software in the future. Imagine you have a brilliant idea for a phone app, but you don’t know how to write code. What if you could just describe your app in plain English, and a smart system would build it for you? It sounds like science fiction, but a company called JetBrains is working on making it a reality.
JetBrains is a company that’s famous for creating tools that help programmers write code more easily. They even created a popular programming language called Kotlin. Now, they’re developing a brand-new language that aims to be much, much simpler.
Climbing the “Abstraction” Ladder
To understand what JetBrains is doing, let’s talk about something called “levels of abstraction.” It sounds complicated, but the idea is simple. Think of it like giving instructions.
In the very early days of computers, programmers had to give extremely detailed, step-by-step instructions in languages like “Assembler.” This is like telling someone how to make a peanut butter sandwich by saying: “Move your right arm 15 inches forward. Grasp the knife handle. Tighten your fingers. Lift your arm 3 inches.” It’s incredibly tedious!
Then, new languages like C and C++ came along. This was a step up. It was more like saying: “Get the bread, get the peanut butter, get a knife, and spread the peanut butter on the bread.” Much better, right? You’re using bigger, more general commands. This is a higher level of abstraction.
After that, we got even more advanced languages like Java and C#. These are at an even higher level, making many common tasks simpler for programmers. The CEO of JetBrains, Kirill Skrygan, says, “And now it’s time to move even higher.” They want to create a language that is at the very top of this ladder.
Lila: “Hold on, John. You keep using that word, ‘abstraction.’ What does it actually mean in this context?”
John: “Great question, Lila! Abstraction just means hiding the complex details and showing only the necessary information. Think about driving a car. You just use a steering wheel, pedals, and a gear stick. You don’t need to know exactly how the engine, pistons, and transmission all work together. The car’s controls are an abstraction that hides all that complexity. In programming, a higher-abstraction language lets you focus on your idea (what you want the program to do) instead of all the tiny, technical details of how the computer does it.”
Designing with Words: The Blueprint for AI
So, what does this “next level” look like? According to JetBrains’ CEO, it’s about laying out the entire plan or design of your software first, using this new language. He mentioned that when we write code this way, we’ll basically be laying out the “ontology” and the “object-oriented architecture.”
Lila: “Whoa, those are some big words, John! ‘Ontology’ and ‘object-oriented architecture’? Can you break those down for me?”
John: “Of course, Lila! Let’s stick with our house-building analogy.
- Ontology: This is just a fancy way of defining all the main concepts and how they relate to each other. If you were designing a house, your ontology would define what a ‘Room’ is, what a ‘Door’ is, what a ‘Window’ is, and the rule that ‘Doors’ connect ‘Rooms’. You’re creating a dictionary of all the parts of your project.
- Object-Oriented Architecture: This is the blueprint you create using those definitions. You’d say, “I want a ‘Kitchen’ (which is a type of ‘Room’) connected to a ‘Living Room’ by a ‘Door’.” You’re organizing your plan using the concepts you defined in your ontology.
By doing this, you create a very clear, high-level plan. The goal is to make the process of having an AI write code more controllable and transparent.”
Lila: “What does ‘transparent’ mean here? Like, see-through code?”
John: “Exactly! Not literally see-through, but easy to understand. When the main plan is written in a simple, descriptive language, anyone can look at it and understand what the software is supposed to do. It’s not a ‘black box’ where the AI does something mysterious and you just hope it’s right. You have the master blueprint, which makes everything clearer.”
Programming in… English?
Here’s the most mind-blowing part. What will this new, super-high-level language look like? JetBrains’ CEO believes it should be based on English. Not the complex programming languages we see today with all their brackets, semicolons, and special commands, but something much closer to how we naturally speak and write.
He gave a perfect example. Let’s say you want to create an application that works on an iPhone, an Android phone, and on a website. Normally, that’s a huge amount of work, often requiring programmers to write three separate versions of the app.
With this new language, the process would be different:
- You would write a detailed description of your app in this special, structured English. You’d explain exactly how you want it to look and function.
- Then, AI “agents,” working together with JetBrains’ tools, would read your English description.
- Based on your blueprint, these AI agents would automatically generate all the complex, low-level code needed for the iPhone, Android, and the web.
Essentially, you act as the architect, and the AI acts as a team of lightning-fast construction workers who know how to build on any platform. You focus on the ‘what,’ and the AI handles the ‘how’.
When Can We Try It?
This all sounds incredible, but it’s important to know that this is still in the early stages. JetBrains has confirmed they are actively working on this new language, but they haven’t announced any timeline for when it might be available for everyone to use. It’s a big, ambitious project, so it will likely take some time to perfect.
My Final Thoughts
John: “From my perspective, this is one of the most exciting trends in technology. For decades, the power to create software has been limited to those who can learn complex coding languages. A system like this could open the doors for so many more people—designers, business owners, and creative thinkers—to bring their ideas to life directly. It’s a big step towards making technology more human-centric.”
Lila: “I completely agree! The idea of ‘coding’ has always seemed so intimidating to me. But describing an app I want in English? That sounds like something I could actually do! It makes the whole world of AI and software development feel so much more approachable and less like a secret club.”
This article is based on the following original source, summarized from the author’s perspective:
JetBrains working on higher-abstraction programming
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