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title: Status & Limitations
description: Understanding the Alpha state of Mist and our technical roadmap.
icon: TriangleAlert
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Mist is currently in a **Volatile Alpha** stage. Our current priority is exploring **Syntax and Features**. We believe in stabilizing the developer experience and the "feel" of the language before locking in the deep architectural logic of the compiler.

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## The "Syntax-First" Philosophy

Mist is currently in a phase of rapid iteration. We are intentionally keeping the **Semantics** flexible while we finalize the **Syntax**.

* **The Goal:** Finalize a robust, ergonomic feature set first.


* **The Reasoning:** Implementing complex semantic analysis while features are still being added is inefficient. By stabilizing the syntax first, we ensure that adding full semantic depth becomes a cohesive, "single-step" process later in development.



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## Current Technical Trade-offs

To allow for this rapid syntax exploration, the compiler currently uses a "Shim" model for certain complex Rust operations.

### 1. The Construction Model

To support Mist's unified **Class and Constructor** model, the compiler uses an experimental memory initialization pattern.

* **Mechanism:** The compiler generates a "shell" using `MaybeUninit`, allowing `self` to be used inside the constructor logic.


* **Limitation:** Because full **Definite Assignment Analysis** (semantics) is not yet implemented, the compiler does not verify that every field is assigned. It currently relies on zeroing out memory as a placeholder.


* **Future Fix:** Once the syntax is frozen, we will implement the semantic checks required to generate standard, safe Rust struct literals.



### 2. Inheritance

Inheritance is a major planned feature but is currently **not implemented**.

* **Status:** The syntax for inheritance is being designed, but it will not be functional until the semantic analyzer is built to handle v-tables and memory layouts in the emitted Rust code.



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## Feature Volatility

Be aware that because we are focusing on syntax, keywords and structures may change between minor versions. Currently:

* **Access Modifiers:** `public` and private defaults are being tested for various contexts (classes vs. structs, or `public(crate)`).


* **Pointers vs. References:** The `*` syntax for references (e.g., `self mut*`) is the current standard but is subject to refinement based on ecosystem feedback.


* **Trait Implementations:** The "In-Class" `impl` block is a core feature we are prioritizing for ergonomics.



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> **Alpha Warning:** Mist is currently a playground for defining a better way to write systems code. Expect breaking changes as we finalize the surface layer of the language.
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