Module System Redesign Overview

The module system work is intentionally split into several implementation-sized designs. The old single document mixed source imports, type metadata, native modules, bytecode persistence, and standard library layout; that made it easy to create Issues with unclear scope.

Split Documents

Implement the module-system-specific work in this local dependency order. These local numbers are not global issue-order numbers:

1. Module Artifact And Typechecker Integration
2. Native Module Artifacts
3. Bytecode Module Loading
4. Standard Library Modularization

Overall Goal

Replace the early STUPID-era module loader with a single module system that works consistently across parsing, type checking, STUPID execution, ORGASM compilation, bytecode loading, native libraries, and the standard library.

The complete system must eventually support:

• Modular standard library imports such as import std.prelude (*).
• Facade modules with explicit re-exports such as export import std.string (*);.
• Conflict-safe imports using module-qualified access (import x as xmod; xmod.name(...)).
• Future symbol-level aliases as a separate extension: Symbol Import Aliases.
• File-based .ng source modules.
• Native module interop for C++-registered libraries.
• ORGASM bytecode modules loaded from compiled .ngo artifacts.
• Compatibility between .ng source modules and .ngo bytecode modules.
• NG_MODULE_PATH search path compatibility.
• Cross-module exported traits and impl evidence.

Current Problems

• FileBasedExternalModuleLoader is source-file-first and tightly coupled to parsing.
• Type checking has partial import behavior and can fall back to Untyped for unresolved imports.
• STUPID runtime modules, typechecker module artifacts, and ORGASM bytecode modules carry different metadata.
• Native functions are registered through runtime hooks and are not represented as first-class module artifacts.
• ORGASM can compile imported source modules, but there is no stable .ngo artifact format or loader priority.

Non-Goal

This overview is not the implementation issue. Use the split documents above when creating concrete Issues.