l runtime for k and q
Ranked 6 of 7 array programming languages by recommenders
An independent q interpreter offered as an alternative to commercially licensed kdb+, with benchmarks people find promising. Critics mostly object that it is closed source and vibe-coded.
An independent q interpreter offered as an alternative to commercially licensed kdb+, with benchmarks people find promising. Critics mostly object that it is closed source and vibe-coded.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 6
- criticize it
- 6
- approval share
- 50%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 6 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1 recommender for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Alternative to licensed kdb+
“L is an independent implementation of a q interpreter. To those who reluctantly commercially license kdb+ - this will be a welcome alternative.”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “A new runtime for k and q: l” “this will be a welcome alternative”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “A new runtime for k and q: l” Strong performance and benchmark gains
“That was a massive unlock - and I could not keep most of the CPU doing actual compute!”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “A new runtime for k and q: l” “as is compute on compressed vectors (very helpful performance unlock)”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “A new runtime for k and q: l” “cool to have a new variant that seems to bench well”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “A new runtime for k and q: l” Innovative and impressive port to q
“First, this is an incredible achievement.”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “A new runtime for k and q: l” “Very innovative to bring it to q.”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “A new runtime for k and q: l”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Closed source and vibe-coded
“the site's clearly vibecoded and isn't opensource”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “A new runtime for k and q: l” “Closed source (and vibe-coded) software, especially for a language runtime, is a non-starter”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “A new runtime for k and q: l” Grandiose claims and AI-styled UI
“lots of unexplained grandiose thinking like "k and q made the vector the unit of thought."”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “A new runtime for k and q: l” “The UI screams gpt 5.5 high lol.”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “A new runtime for k and q: l” Weak benchmark evidence
“the only point of comparison against a competitive k/q runtime is an MBP run”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “A new runtime for k and q: l” “the author who can't write knows how to benchmark software”
Comment from 7 Jul 2026 in “A new runtime for k and q: l”
Other array programming languages people recommend
The four most recommended other array programming languages, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J programming language | 23 | 10 | 70% | 8 | — | Approved |
| Uiua | 20 | 4 | 83% | 9 | — | Approved |
| BQN | 11 | 2 | 85% | 8 | — | Approved |
| K programming language | 11 | 5 | 69% | 5 | — | Approved |
| l runtime for k and qThis page | 6 | 6 | 50% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
All 14 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“First, this is an incredible achievement.”
“the only point of comparison against a competitive k/q runtime is an MBP run”
“That was a massive unlock - and I could not keep most of the CPU doing actual compute!”
“the code itself is in a style of C many find difficult to read”
“Closed source (and vibe-coded) software, especially for a language runtime, is a non-starter”
“Very innovative to bring it to q.”
“as is compute on compressed vectors (very helpful performance unlock)”
“L is an independent implementation of a q interpreter. To those who reluctantly commercially license kdb+ - this will be a welcome alternative.”
“this will be a welcome alternative”
“The UI screams gpt 5.5 high lol.”
“the site's clearly vibecoded and isn't opensource”
“the author who can't write knows how to benchmark software”
“cool to have a new variant that seems to bench well”
“lots of unexplained grandiose thinking like "k and q made the vector the unit of thought."”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.