# Slang shading language

Hacker Approved page: https://hackerapproved.com/p/slang/

7 people recommended Slang shading language in Hacker News comments, 2 had mixed feelings and none criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 12 months, in 4 threads. It does not meet the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Free open-source shading language with strong developer tooling, deep integration, and a usable printf; one commenter finds its C-like syntax quirky.

Summary written by Claude from 9 comments. It was written before the November 2026 recount, and 8 of those comments still count.

## Why people recommend it

- Strong developer experience and tooling (3 comments in the sample): "the most value adding, IMHO, is the DevEx and deep integration with SecDb" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46612671)) "Especially when using the tooling from who created it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46387224)) "Slang is a fantastic developer experience." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46386899))

## What people warn about

- Quirky C-like syntax (1 comment in the sample): "the somewhat quirky C like language that ran with it" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48680168))

## The badge

A product earns the Hacker Approved badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it. Health and money products are never badged.

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Slang shading language", https://hackerapproved.com/p/slang/ (7 recommend, 2 mixed, 0 criticize; Hacker News comments, November 2025 to October 2026).

Counts updated 2 Nov 2026, with data through October 31, 2026.