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From: lord@x1.cygnus.com (Tom Lord)
Subject: GNU Extension Language -- Scheme compatible?
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Date: Mon, 24 Oct 1994 04:46:33 GMT
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Xref: glinda.oz.cs.cmu.edu comp.lang.scheme:10551 comp.lang.misc:18352 gnu.misc.discuss:19100



	ozan s. yigit writes:

	The language described in the RMS note may at best be characterized as
	a derivative of Scheme, and i doubt it would be called Scheme, any
	more than Dylan is called Scheme.

The GNU language (whatever it is called) will be very nearly a
superset of standard Scheme.  Only two kinds of standard Scheme
program won't work with the GNU language without modification:

	1. Those that depend on the distinction between '() and #f.
	2. Those that depend on the case insensativity of Scheme identifiers.

It would not be hard to provide a reader option to control case
sensativity.  In that case, standard programs from class 2 would work
perfectly well with the GNU language although they might have trouble
communicating with other packages that take advantage of case
sensativity.

R4RS itself gives warning that some implementations conflate '() and
#f.  So, there is precendent for discouraging people from writing
programs that depend on the distinction.

Since these violations of the standard are minor, if the string
"Scheme" shows up in the name, I think that will not be too great an
abuse of terminology.

-t
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