Documentation · Reference
The cast
What kalku, wekufe, kalkutun and reni mean, where they come from and what each word names in the tool.
In Mapuche belief, a kalku is a sorcerer who works in a hidden cave, the reni, and commands the wekufe, spirits that bring harm. kalku borrows that cast:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| kalku | A worker bound to one language, which knows how to break code in that language |
| wekufe | A mutant: your program with exactly one defect cast into it |
| kalkutun / spell | A kind of defect: drop a case clause, shift >= to >, swap and for or, … Kalkutun is the harm a kalku works; code and protocol say spell |
| reni | An isolated workspace where wekufe are cast. Your working tree is never touched |
The plural of wekufe is the same word: the wekufe.
Other words you will read
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| site | A place in the source where a spell applies: file, position, spell and replacement text |
| cast | To cast a wekufe: apply the defect and run the tests that cover it |
| summon | Start a kalku. That is why the project’s script is called .kalku/summon |
| survivor | A wekufe no test caught: a hole in the suite, with a file, a line and a diff |
Plain words in the reports
Reports use plain words (killed, survived, timeout) so a CI log reads without the glossary. Outcomes and score explains all of them.
Kalku, the mascot
The mascot is called Kalku too: a sorcerer condor, black, with a red headband and scarf and a grin full of teeth. He is good, but he likes to look sinister.
Kalku is the brother of Madu, the pudú machi who is the mascot of Kimün, a tool that measures the health of code from the terminal. Madu measures the code; Kalku breaks it to learn whether the tests notice.