[beefburger]

I've just implemented Tetris in PostScript, pushing the limits of a document-processing language to run a realtime game. It works in GhostView on macOS.

* 600 lines / 10 KB * 69 different PostScript operators, no external libs * Realtime input, direct drop, increasing speed levels * 7-tetrimino random bags * Nintendo-style scoring and high score tracking

This project builds on my earlier experiments with PSChess and PSSokoban.

It show that PostScript is a lightweight, expressive, and surprisingly interactive programming language. A perfect tool for hacking on unexpected platforms.

[yodsanklai]

Cool! I didn't know that postscript supported interactive content. I thought the code would be generating the document and that's it.

[cenamus]

PS was actually used for OS graphics multiple times (with more adaptions of course)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Display_PostScript

[hamburglar]

Yes but using raw postscript in this perverse way to get interactivity is truly inspired. My hat is off to the author.

[pjmlp]

Not really, that is exactly how it was used in Sun NeWS.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeWS

You would write full blown GUI apps in Postscript with some C glue.

[hamburglar]

Well, it really doesn’t. This uses a clever hack where you write the input to a text file that the PS program is continuously reading. Very cool.