# Suggestion for CMake 5

**URL:** https://discourse.cmake.org/t/suggestion-for-cmake-5/15820
**Category:** Development
**Created:** [September 2, 2026, 7:08pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/suggestion-for-cmake-5/15820 "2026-09-02T19:08:31Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![lostbits](https://discourse.cmake.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/l/58956e/32.png) [@lostbits](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/lostbits)
#### Post date: [September 2, 2026, 7:08pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/suggestion-for-cmake-5/15820/1 "2026-09-02T19:08:31Z")

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I have a suggestion of a path forward for CMake. It contains a new way of looking at the grammar and suggestions for means which allow incorporation of new languages without too much development overhead. It is in a multi-page pdf which I can’t upload because I’m a new user. Any way that I can get permission for an upload?

In brief: substitution of A = B for ${A} = ${$B}} and elimination of many (most?) set\_() functions, because of A = B. Elimination of all things like endif(). Use of ‘{’ ‘}’ for bracketing. And so on, with a brief BNF grammar for an LR(1) parser and words about the lexer.

It’s woefully incomplete and it’s only taken a couple of hours to make. But I’d like to at least upload it for review. If there’s any interest by the developer managers I can spend more time in completing some of the thoughts. No interest on your part. No interest on mine.