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Cloth is a statically typed, object-oriented programming language for math-heavy work: models, formulas, and simulations. It aims to be easy to read, fast to run, and predictable in behavior.

What Cloth is

• Statically typed. Types are checked at compile time, so common mistakes are caught early.
• Object-oriented. Classes, encapsulation, and modules help structure both small scripts and large systems.
• Built for numbers. Comfortable with equations and simulation code, with a focus on correctness and clarity.
• Practical. Syntax stays out of the way; what you write should match what you mean.

Design goals

• Clarity over ceremony. Minimal surface area; explicit where it matters.
• Performance you can rely on. Compiled output designed for scientific workloads and long-running simulations.
• Predictable semantics. The same code produces the same results across runs and environments.
• Maintainability. Scales from quick experiments to production systems without rewriting everything.

When to reach for Cloth

• You’re modeling systems (physics, finance, biology, etc.) and care about correctness.
• You’re building simulations that need to run efficiently.
• You want readable, strongly-typed code that’s straightforward to review and extend.
• You prefer a simple, modern OOP model over a web of language features.

What Cloth isn’t

• Not a scripting language optimized for one-off throwaways.
• Not a “kitchen sink” language—features are added only when they pay for themselves.
• Not tied to a particular framework or runtime.

Language at a glance

• Types: Statically checked; explicit where helpful.
• Errors: Compile-time where possible; clear runtime messages when not.
• Modules: Organize code into reusable units.
• Tooling: Aims for fast builds and a smooth edit-compile-run loop.

Where to go next

• Overview: How Cloth programs are organized → /guide/overview
• Type system: Numbers, strings, collections, and custom types → /language/types
• OOP model: Classes, methods, visibility, and modules → /language/oop
• Building & running: Tooling, compiler, and workflow → /tooling
• Examples & recipes: Common patterns for modeling and simulation → /recipes