So over the past week I've developed Just Another Interpreted Stack-Base Language (JAISBaL for short), and I had a few questions:

  • Is there any reason JAISBaL would be illegal to use for the general code-golf tagged challenges? (I've seen other questions asking about introduction of new languages, and the answer to this questions seems to be no, other than the fact that JAISBaL will only be usable on new questions)
  • Is it legal to use a custom character encoding (for the most part)? I've seen the Jelly codepage, but I'm not sure if that's a custom encoding or a subset of another standard
  • Is it a huge problem if the interpreter must be downloaded? I only really know Java, so that's what I wrote the interpreter in
  • How exactly do I go about introducing the language to code-golf? Do I just start answering new questions in the language, or is there some 'registration' I need to go through?

Finally, on a slightly unrelated note, where can I find the full rules for code-golf, the tag popup doesn't seem to provide the full list. For example, is it legal for two people to post an answer in the same language (I've never seen this occur, so that's why I'm asking)?

Edit: Yay "learn more" button: https://codegolf.stackexchange.com/tags/code-golf/info

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    \$\begingroup\$ There is no "registration" to go through. However, if you'd like, you can post it to languages created by PPCG users. This is not mandatory at all. Just like Alex said, you can just start writing answers with your language. I've written plenty of answers in my golfing language, and I have not (yet) posted to that page. (Although I might do so soon) \$\endgroup\$ – DJMcMayhem Jul 9 '16 at 22:01
  • \$\begingroup\$ I've removed some of the fluffy stuff from your question because I found it distractiing -- you're free to rollback if you disagree, \$\endgroup\$ – cat Jul 11 '16 at 1:18
  • \$\begingroup\$ Welcome to PPCG! You're welcome to come and chat with us on The Nineteenth Byte; the link in the sidebar of the main site. Watercooler chat is fine. \$\endgroup\$ – noɥʇʎԀʎzɐɹƆ Jul 15 '16 at 18:28
  • \$\begingroup\$ As Alex said, new languages are more than welcome here, if 1) Not used on challenges not explicitly allowing post-dating languages posted before your language version went public 2) Not created just for a specific challenge if not explicitly allowed to. \$\endgroup\$ – Erik the Outgolfer Jul 22 '16 at 21:49
  • \$\begingroup\$ @EʀɪᴋᴛʜᴇGᴏʟғᴇʀ Languages are still welcome on challenges not explicitly allowing newer languages/versions, they should just be marked as non-competing. \$\endgroup\$ – Martin Ender Jul 23 '16 at 8:43

First of all, welcome to Programming Puzzles & Code Golf! I'm thrilled you've joined our community.

There's no registration process for using a new language--just start using it! It's generally a good idea to include a link to information about the language and its encoding, as well as the location of a usable interpreter, in the post. That will be helpful for users unfamiliar with it and for challenge authors to test your submissions. It's fine if the interpreter has to be downloaded so long as it's available to download somewhere and there are instructions for how to get it set up.

Any answer can use any existing encoding so long as the answer works as expected when its source code is encoded using that particular encoding. For reference, here's our policy on answer encodings.

Let me know if you need any further clarification on anything, and again welcome!

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    \$\begingroup\$ Now I just need someone to post a challenge, as as of posting, the latest question was 6 hours ago, and my first commit was 5 :( Thanks for the answer though! \$\endgroup\$ – Socratic Phoenix Jul 9 '16 at 20:56
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    \$\begingroup\$ @SocraticPhoenix You're welcome to answer any challenge in your language, it just isn't eligible for winning if the version of the language is newer than the challenge. In that case you can simply mark the answer as non-competing. \$\endgroup\$ – Alex A. Jul 9 '16 at 21:21
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    \$\begingroup\$ @SocraticPhoenix Another great option is to write a challenge and then answer in your language. I've certainly done that before. \$\endgroup\$ – DJMcMayhem Jul 9 '16 at 21:57
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    \$\begingroup\$ See the Existing Catalogue Challenges – usually those accept answers in languages created after the challenge. Similarly Showcase your language one vote at a time. \$\endgroup\$ – manatwork Jul 11 '16 at 12:20
  • \$\begingroup\$ @manatwork Catalog challenges also don't accept an answer though, so in some sense no one is actually eligible for "winning." And the language showcase is a popcon; I think the rule applies only to code golf. (I think?) \$\endgroup\$ – Alex A. Jul 11 '16 at 14:03

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