WHY EIFFEL
Why Eiffel?
The language built for correctness. Now paired with AI.
The Origin
Eiffel was created by Bertrand Meyer in 1986. One core principle: software should be correct by design.
Not correct by testing. Not correct by code review. Correct by design.
Design by Contract was built into the language from day one. Not added later. Not a library. The language itself.
What Makes Eiffel Different
Contracts as first-class citizens
- •
require,ensure,invariantare language keywords - • Every feature can have preconditions and postconditions
- • Every class can have invariants
- • Runtime checks are automatic
Void safety
- • No null pointer exceptions
- • The type system prevents void calls
- • "The billion dollar mistake" — solved
Multiple inheritance done right
- • Inherit from multiple classes
- • Rename, redefine, select to resolve conflicts
- • Powerful composition patterns
Foundation-layer stability
- • Eiffel operates at the C/C++ layer, not the React layer
- • Code from 20 years ago still compiles
- • No ecosystem fashion cycles to chase
- • You escape framework churn by not depending on frameworks
Honest Trade-offs
We believe in honesty. Here's what you're trading:
Smaller community
- • Stack Overflow won't have answers
- • Fewer blog posts and tutorials
- • You may need to figure things out yourself
- • AI assistance + reference docs help significantly
IDE lock-in
- • EiffelStudio is the primary IDE
- • No VS Code, no JetBrains (for now)
- • AI-assisted workflow reduces IDE dependency
Commercial perception
- • "Eiffel? Is that still around?"
- • May need to justify the choice
- • Evidence and results speak louder than perception
Why Now?
Eiffel has been excellent for 40 years. So why now?
AI changes the equation:
- AI generates code fast, but not verified
- DBC verifies code automatically
- The combination: speed + correctness
Reference documentation changes the equation:
- AI can be taught Eiffel patterns
- Institutional knowledge compounds
- The "small community" disadvantage shrinks
The moment is now.