The Parrot intermediate representation (PIR), previously called Intermediate code (IMC), is one of the two assembly languages for the Parrot virtual machine.
Compared to PASM, PIR exists at a slightly higher abstraction layer, and provides temporary registers and named registers, simplifying code generation.
While Parrot is still evolving, it is currently being used in many different capacities, and has undergone several releases.
PIR provides a set of abstractions that allow the programmer to ignore certain redundancies in the Parrot bytecode and quickly write code that adheres to the complexities of Parrot, such as the calling conventions.
For example, the "+" operator can be used with int, num or both: The calling conventions in Parrot are complex, but all of that complexity can be hidden by using PIR directives: Each of the directives prefixed with a "."