{{Short description|Domain specific programming language}} {{More footnotes|date=July 2019}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2022}} {{Infobox programming language |name = Little b |logo = |paradigm = [[Functional programming|functional]] |year = 2004 |designer = Aneil Mallavarapu |developer = [[Harvard Medical School]] Department of Systems Biology |latest_release_version = 1.6.0 |latest_release_date = {{Start date|2008|09|06}} |typing = [[Type system|dynamic]], [[Strong typing|strong]] |implementations = [[Linux]], [[Mac OS X]], [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] |dialects = |influenced_by = [[Lisp (programming language)|Lisp]] |website = [https://web.archive.org/web/20051102195348/http://www.littleb.org/ www.littleb.org] }}
'''Little b''' is a [[Domain-specific language|domain-specific]] [[programming language]], more specifically, a [[modeling language]], designed to build modular [[Mathematics|mathematical]] models of [[Systems biology|biological systems]]. It was designed and authored by [[Aneil Mallavarapu]]. Little b is being developed in the Virtual Cell Program at [[Harvard Medical School]], headed by mathematician [[Jeremy Gunawardena]].
This language is based on [[Lisp (programming language)|Lisp]] and is meant to allow modular programming to model biological systems. It will allow more flexibility to facilitate rapid change that is required to accurately capture complex biological systems.
The language draws on techniques from artificial intelligence and symbolic mathematics, and provides syntactic conveniences derived from [[object-oriented programming|object-oriented]] languages. The language was originally denoted with a lowercase b (distinguishing it from [[B (programming language)|B]], the predecessor to the widely used [[C (programming language)|C]] programming language), but the name was eventually changed to "little b" to avoid confusion and to pay homage to [[Smalltalk]].
==References== *Krieger K. "Life in Silico: A Different Kind of Intelligent Design". ''[[Science (journal)|Science]]''. 312(5771):189–190. *https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2008/07/little-b-project-creates-biology-specific-programming-system/ *https://www.computerworld.com/article/2551598/big-things-from-little-b.html
==External links== *[http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-07/hms-be072108.php Biology enters 'The Matrix' through new computer language] EurekAlert article
[[Category:Programming languages]] [[Category:Dynamic programming languages]] [[Category:Dynamically typed programming languages]] [[Category:Object-oriented programming languages]] [[Category:Lisp (programming language)]] [[Category:Specification languages]] [[Category:Cross-platform free software]] [[Category:Programming languages created in 2004]]