Python v2 🐍→🐍²

I remade Python, but better.

Python v2 is a programming language that lets you work quickly and integrate systems more effectively — same energy as the original snake, without the paper cuts. No indentation errors. Real closures. F-strings that just work. Structured errors you can actually recover from. A ternary that reads left to right. And it runs right in your browser.

# hello.pyv2
fn greet(name):
    if name == "":
        return "Hello, stranger!"
    end
    return f"Hello, {name}!"
end

numbers = [2, 4, 6, 8]
product = 1
for number in numbers:
    product = product * number
end

print(greet("World"))
print(f"The product is: {product}")

$ python3 -m pyv2 hello.pyv2
Hello, World!
The product is: 384

✨ What makes it better

Old Python	Python v2
def foo(): + invisible whitespace	fn foo(): … end
TabError: inconsistent use of tabs and spaces	No such thing. Ever.
nonlocal scavenger hunts	closures just work
"n=" + str(n)	"n=" + n
x if ok else y (backwards)	ok ? x : y
exception classes for routine app errors	catch error gives a useful map; finally always runs
assert is a keyword with moods	assert(cond, msg) is a function
trailing commas sometimes	trailing commas & multi-line everything
one runtime	two parity-tested runtimes — CLI and browser
ad-hoc file access	capability-based app data, atomic saves, and read-only assets
packaging guesswork	validated projects, reproducible kits, and real Windows .exe builds

🚀 Quick start

One-click install (language + PyHope engine)

# Windows: download and double-click
install.bat

# macOS / Linux
sh install.sh

The readable installer scripts download the latest release, install the pyv2, pyv2-launcher, and pyhope commands, create a Python v2 Sudbury desktop app/shortcut, and run a self-check. No pygame, Electron, or third-party runtime. Python 3.10+ is the only requirement (some minimal Linux installs package tkinter separately as python3-tk).

Or run straight from source

$ git clone https://github.com/gefrus112/pythonv2
$ cd pythonv2
$ python3 -m pyv2 examples/fib.pyv2
$ python3 -m pyv2                         # REPL
$ python3 -m pyv2.launcher                # desktop app
$ python3 -m pyhope --demo                # engine demo
$ python3 -m pyv2 examples/games/monster_arena.pyv2

🏗️ Build production Windows applications

Python v2 now includes the Sudbury Build Tools: app metadata, strict JSON, command-line arguments, sandboxed UTF-8 files, atomic saves, read-only bundled assets, native dialogs, validation, integrity manifests, and an inspectable Windows packaging pipeline.

# Create a complete application project
$ pyv2 new windows-app "Comet Tasks"

# Develop and validate it
$ pyv2 Comet-Tasks/main.pyv2 --add "Ship the app"
$ pyv2 check Comet-Tasks

# Create a reproducible Windows build kit from any operating system
$ pyv2 build Comet-Tasks

# On Windows: build the real one-file Comet-Tasks.exe
> pyv2 build Comet-Tasks --native

Each project includes pyv2app.json, VS Code tasks, a readable batch builder, a PowerShell builder, app assets, and a GitHub Actions Windows workflow. Every build kit vendors the exact Python v2 runtime and hashes its inputs. The actual .exe is produced by PyInstaller on Windows; macOS and Linux create the same reviewable build kit or can use the included Windows CI workflow. Python v2 never disguises a non-Windows binary as an .exe. Generated files are not Authenticode-signed automatically; public distributors should add their own protected signing certificate in Windows CI.

Packaged apps store writable data under %LOCALAPPDATA%\\PythonV2Apps\\APP-ID. Absolute paths, traversal, symlink escapes, oversized text, and writes to bundled assets are blocked by default. See examples/software/comet_notes.pyv2.

🖥️ Python v2 Sudbury Launcher

Version 1.1 ships Python v2 as its own lightweight desktop application. The workspace provides Home, Code Studio, a path-safe atomic file service, project wizard, eight packaged CC0 assets, Games/GPU, detected editor connections, local settings, docs, a polished offline personal/portfolio/game website starter, Windows app project generation, and a preview server—all using the Python standard library. Open it with pyv2-launcher, pyhope-studio, or pyhope --studio.

🎮 PyHope game engine

PyHope is the custom engine bundled with Python v2—not pygame. The portable Python package includes vectors, sprites, tile maps, collision, fixed-step scenes, DDA ray casting, and terminal preview rendering. The website adds:

• Byte Beast Arena — CPU raycaster with original sprite monsters, AI, blaster, health and hit detection
• Comet Hopper — original classic-style platformer whose level is generated by the Python v2 browser runtime
• Comet Circuit — top-down racing with a Python v2-generated track, three AI drivers, speed-sensitive steering, road grip, laps, and best times
• Pocket Arcade — seven additional playable Canvas games: Neon Blaster, Asteroid Drift, Target Blitz, Skybound, Turbo Trail, Snake Byte, and Orb Breaker
• 10 illustrated game launch cards — every icon opens its game directly
• 9M GPU Lab — 1280×720 live WebGL2 raycaster plus an opt-in 4096×2304 frame: 9,437,184 ray-cast pixels
• Free CC0 sprites — original hero, monsters, weapon and collectible; not copied from Mario, Nintendo, or another game

Play everything at games.html.

🌐 The website

The website lives at the repo root (so GitHub Pages serves it directly at gefrus112.github.io/pythonv2) — styled after python.org, then pushed further:

• a runnable playground in the hero (the real interpreter, pyv2.js, running in your browser — press the yellow >_ badge)
• a Downloads page (download.html) — install the language on macOS / Linux / Windows / any editor
• a dual-runtime Playground (playground.html) — Python v2, an honestly labeled Classic Python compatibility subset, command history, separate error terminal, downloadable source, and a live personal/portfolio/game website studio with generated HTML inspection
• a tutorial (tutorial.html) — 10 runnable lessons, sandbox included
• a 10-game arcade (games.html) with shooters, platformers, racing, Snake Byte, Orb Breaker, animated sprites, Python v2 source, and the 9M GPU lab
• a 50-topic field guide (guide.html) from hello-world to ray casting
• smooth, accessible reveal-on-scroll animations, reading progress, and back-to-top navigation (respects reduced-motion settings)
• the refreshed two-snake comet icon (logo-v2.svg, favicon-v2.svg) — one red snake and one blue snake, interlocked in a gold-rimmed badge
• a full documentation site (docs.html) covering the language, editor setup, and PyHope API
• a YouTube milestone campaign for @CubeCometYT: the full installation video releases at 1,000 subscribers

Serve it locally:

$ python3 -m http.server 8000
# → http://localhost:8000

GitHub Pages serves the same files from the repo root — push to main and the live site updates at https://gefrus112.github.io/pythonv2/

🧑‍💻 Editor setup

Full guides live in docs.html and download.html — VS Code, dev containers / GitHub Codespaces, desktop terminals, and any other editor. The short version:

Where	How
Desktop	python3 -m pyv2 file.pyv2 — nothing to install
VS Code	open the repo, hit Ctrl+Shift+B; syntax highlighting from editors/vscode
Dev containers / Codespaces	open in container via .devcontainer/devcontainer.json — everything preinstalled
Any editor	associate *.pyv2, run python3 -m pyv2 $file

🧪 Tests

$ python3 -m unittest discover -s tests -t .

112 tests pass: 67 language tests, 9 PyHope engine tests, 14 production-app/build tests, 13 workspace/Launcher tests, 8 arcade/Playground site tests, plus a parity harness that runs 28 programs (including error paths) through both the Python and JavaScript runtimes and demands byte-identical output.

📦 Repo layout

index.html       home website (GitHub Pages serves this) — quick runner + game
playground.html  dual-runtime editor, commands, errors, website workshop
playground.js    Playground sessions, templates, terminals, and HTML export
classic-python.js documented classic-syntax compatibility translator
download.html    one-click installers + desktop/editor setup
docs.html        language reference + complete PyHope API guide
tutorial.html    10 runnable language lessons + browser sandbox
guide.html       50 concise language/engine learning topics
games.html       10-game arcade, GPU lab, animated sprites, Python v2 source
arcade.js         seven-game shared Canvas engine for Pocket Arcade
pyv2/            interpreter, safe app runtime, Windows builder, CLI, desktop Launcher
pyhope/          engine, CLI, and packaged offline CC0 asset library
pyv2.js          twin language runtime in JavaScript
game.js          CPU sprite raycaster (monsters + weapon)
gpu-game.js      WebGL2 raycaster (9,437,184-pixel mode)
games.js         Comet Hopper + game page controllers
site.js          shared scroll animation/progress behavior
assets/sprites/  original CC0 hero, monsters, weapon, collectible
install.bat      Windows installer for pyv2 + PyHope
install.sh       macOS/Linux installer for pyv2 + PyHope
editors/vscode/  VS Code syntax highlighting + snippets
examples/games/  playable Python v2 game/source examples
examples/software/ persistent JSON and safe app-data examples
tests/           language, app builder, parity, site, workspace, and engine tests
docs/LANGUAGE.md full language reference & grammar

📖 Docs

The full language reference lives at docs/LANGUAGE.md — values, operators, scope rules, builtins, methods, error kinds and the EBNF grammar. Spoiler: it fits on one page, because the language was designed to.

📜 License

MIT — see LICENSE. The original sprite pack in assets/sprites/ is additionally released under CC0. Not affiliated with the PSF, Nintendo, or pygame. Made with stubborn optimism, CPU pixels, and one very optional GPU benchmark.