--[ repository ]------------------------------------------------------------
URL : https://github.com/imattas/SUFFERING
Language : C
Status : archived
Stars : 0
Updated : 2026-03-20
coding language
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--[ SUFFERING - Language Specification ]--
│ "Programming should hurt."
SUFFERING is an esoteric programming language designed to be strictly worse than
Brainfuck in every conceivable way. It is Turing complete, self-modifying,
context-dependent, and actively hostile to the programmer.
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--[ Commands ]--
SUFFERING has exactly 4 instructions. All of them are invisible Unicode
whitespace characters.
Symbol Code Point Name Description
U+2003 Shift Em space. Context-depende...
U+2009 Unmake Thin space. Context-depen...
U+200A Flip Hair space. Context-depen...
U+200B Torment Zero-width space. Literal...
All other characters (including regular spaces, tabs, newlines, letters, digits)
are ignored.
Only the four Unicode whitespace characters above are instructions.
Yes, all four instructions are invisible. Your source code looks blank. You're
welcome.
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--[ Memory Model ]--
- Tape: 256 cells, each holding a value 0-255 (unsigned, wrapping).
- Pointer (P): Points to current cell. Starts at cell 0. Wraps around (0-255).
- Instruction Pointer (IP): Current position in the program. Starts at 0.
- Direction (D): Execution direction. 1 = forward, -1 = reverse. Starts at 1.
- Agony Register (A): Counts total instructions executed (mod 256). Starts at 0.
This register influences instruction behavior.
- Previous Instruction (PREV): The last instruction executed. Starts as None.
- Suffering Counter (SC): Incremented every time the program self-modifies. When
SC reaches a multiple of 7, execution direction reverses.
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--[ Execution Rules ]--
:: The Agony Cycle
Every instruction's behavior depends on A mod 3 (the "Phase"):
- Phase 0: Anguish - Instructions have their "primary" meaning.
- Phase 1: Despair - Instructions have their "secondary" meaning.
- Phase 2: Torment - Instructions have their "tertiary" meaning.
The phase changes with EVERY instruction executed. You must mentally track what
phase you're in at all times. Good luck.
:: The Previous Instruction Rule
When the same instruction is executed twice in a row (PREV == current), the
instruction's meaning is inverted (see inversion table below). This stacks
with the phase system.
:: Self-Modification
The Thin Space (TH) instruction in certain phases replaces instructions in the
program source. The replaced instruction depends on the current memory cell
value.
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--[ Instruction Behavior Table ]--
:: Em Space U+2003 (Shift)
Phase Normal Inverted (repeated)
0 (Anguish) Move pointer RIGHT by 1 Move pointer LEFT by 1
1 (Despair) INCREMENT current cell by 1 DECREMENT current cell by 1
2 (Torment) OUTPUT current cell as ASCII INPUT one byte into curre...
:: Thin Space U+2009 (Unmake)
Phase Normal Inverted (repeated)
0 (Anguish) DECREMENT current cell by 1 INCREMENT current cell by 1
1 (Despair) SELF-MODIFY: Replace inst... Move pointer LEFT by 1
2 (Torment) Jump forward to matching ... Jump forward to matching ...
:: Hair Space U+200A (Flip)
Phase Normal Inverted (repeated)
0 (Anguish) Jump backward to matching... Jump backward to matching...
1 (Despair) REVERSE execution directi... OUTPUT current cell as ASCII
2 (Torment) Move pointer LEFT by (cel... Move pointer RIGHT by (ce...
:: Zero-Width Space U+200B (Torment)
Phase Normal Inverted (repeated)
0 (Anguish) Set current cell to A (th... Set current cell to 255 - A
1 (Despair) SWAP current cell value w... Move pointer to position ...
2 (Torment) SELF-MODIFY: Replace inst... No operation (NOP). But y...
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--[ Loop Matching (TH/HR pairs) ]--
Thin Space (TH) in Phase 2 and Hair Space (HR) in Phase 0 form loop brackets,
similar to [ and ] in Brainfuck:
- TH (Phase 2, normal): Jump forward past matching HR if cell is 0.
- HR (Phase 0, normal): Jump backward to matching TH if cell is NOT 0.
HOWEVER: Because the phase rotates every instruction, TH and HR only act
as loop brackets when they happen to be in the right phase. The programmer must
carefully count instructions to ensure TH lands on Phase 2 and HR lands on
Phase 0 for loops to work.
If they're in the wrong phase, they do something completely different. Surprise!
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--[ Direction Reversal ]--
When SC (suffering counter) hits a multiple of 7 (and SC > 0), execution
direction reverses (D = -D). This means self-modification can cause the
program to start running backward through its own code.
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--[ Halt Condition ]--
The program halts when:
1. IP moves outside the bounds of the program (before position 0 or after the
last instruction).
2. More than 1,000,000 instructions have been executed (mercy kill).
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--[ Why This Is Worse Than Brainfuck ]--
1. Only 4 instructions but each has 6 possible meanings (3 phases x 2 inversion
states).
2. All 4 instructions are invisible — your source code looks completely blank.
3. Every instruction changes the phase, so behavior shifts constantly.
4. Repeating an instruction inverts it, making consecutive operations
treacherous.
5. Self-modifying code means your program mutates as it runs.
6. Direction reversal means your program can start running backward.
7. Loop brackets only work in specific phases, requiring precise instruction
counting.
8. The agony register leaks runtime state into instruction behavior.
9. The suffering counter can trigger direction changes at unpredictable times.
10. Writing "Hello World" requires calculating phase alignments by hand.
11. You need a hex editor to read your own source code.
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--[ Example Programs ]--
See the examples/ directory for working programs:
- hello.sfr - Hello World
- count.sfr - Print numbers 1-10
- loop.sfr - Infinite loop
File extension: .sfr