Newsgroups: comp.lang.scheme
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!rochester!udel!news.mathworks.com!hookup!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!news.sprintlink.net!uunet!in1.uu.net!sytex!smcl
From: smcl@sytex.com (Scott McLoughlin)
Subject: Re: Removing READ
Message-ID: <omHy1c1w165w@sytex.com>
Sender: bbs@sytex.com
Organization: Sytex Access Ltd.
References: <bakulD4FAss.C7H@netcom.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Feb 1995 03:16:47 GMT
Lines: 62

bakul@netcom.com (Bakul Shah) writes:

> 
> much more pleasing and easier to read/modify.  Where these
> .<program>rc files go wrong is in inventing their own syntax
> for doing complicated things.  For that Scheme or Self or some
> such language would be perfect.  (and no, the idea of using two
> languages does not disgust me!).
> 
Howdy,

I agree on the general .<prog>rc -> .lisp idea. Windoze
users have had a standard .INI setup file format for a 
few years, but it only provides a fairly simple name:value
association.

I think there are problems with standardization, though.

(1) For freebie/research software, I _like_ folks reinventing
wheels and occasionally coming up with new ideas.
(2) Getting commercial vendors to agree on anything is tough.
Playing catchup to some defacto standard seems to work from
time to time.

WARNING! Brief but shameless plug forthcoming!

One area where standardization is possible is with "in house"
software. Here a standard configuration and scripting language
can decrease "maintenance" costs, simplify training, etc.
Our LinkLisp Common Lisp subset is a Windows 3.1 .DLL and .VBX
and is rather nicely suited for just such a standard configuration
and scripting language.  

** END PLUG **


> What would be more interesting is the use of Scheme as a
> *communication* language; where programs throw back and forth
> s-exprs (instead of sending just data in some arcane &/or
> proprietary formats) to communicate with each other.  Perhaps
> s-exprs encoded in some sort of a compact/efficient binary
> format.
> 
> Bakul Shah <bakul@netcom.com>

Yes, I'd say that this would be very interesting indeed. We
are currently looking into the security issues, process
management issues, etc. involved in doing this in a robust
manner. 

How important is a "compact/efficient binary format" and
important for what in particular? SQL comes to mind as a
popular "remote evaluation" language that operates on the
text or "print representation" level.  Where passing a
large print representation of a computation becomes 
problematic, one can simply make a "stored procedure" on
the server side.

=============================================
Scott McLoughlin
Conscious Computing
=============================================
