Re: Specialized input parsing for code/REPL in DrScheme?

[Robert Bruce Findler <robby@cs.rice.edu>]

Well, for what it's worth, the non-source correlating reader is 
written in C and the source correlating reader is written in Scheme. 
Both are just called as library routines so it will not matter if you 
write your new reader in Scheme or in C.

You will find that DrScheme makes a distinction that Smalltalk does 
not between the user's program and the programming environment 
itself. This means that we won't have the same extensibility that 
Smalltalk has, but it also means you cannot shoot yourself in the 
foot by updating some definition -- the execute button always starts 
your program completely afresh.

Thanks for the broken link report. We'll fix that ASAP.

Robby

At 10:55 AM -0400 8/10/00, Paul Fernhout wrote:
>Robert-
>
>Thanks for the information -- it's a start!
>
>I also appreciate the offer to expose that part of the base system if
>sensible/neccessary. I see classes are starting again at Rice real soon,
>   http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~reg/calendars/acadcalf00.html
>so I'm sure you all will have your hands full with other things shortly
>(if not now in preparation).
>
>I hadn't looked through the tools stuff, so thanks for the pointer
>By the way, for the "m3" documentation, this link works:
>   * http://www.cs.rice.edu/CS/PLT/packages/102/doc/m3/index.htm
>But this link does not:
>  * http://www.cs.rice.edu/CS/PLT/packages/102/DocBundles/m3-doc.plt.
>
>Right now, rather than rush into this, I'm still trying to see just how
>much work it would be in DrScheme. I'm more used to Smalltalk where
>typically (Squeak, VisualWorks) the parser, compiler, formatter, etc.
>are pretty much always written in Smalltalk and are usually easily
>accessible in source and changeable (including by subclassing). It seems
>that in the Lisp world (not necessarily DrScheme - I need to understand
>it more) these things are more often written in C and hidden in the base
>code. Even when you get hooks, there is still a lot of writing to do to
>rewrite the C in Lisp or Scheme (or find such already written).
>
>However, it might be fun to build a reader as you say, and then if it
>works, worry about hooking it up later. Since I'm still learning Scheme
>(and it's strengths and weaknesses), even a failure will be a success
>(as
>far as learning).
>
>By the way, I found one of the most interesting replies (appropriate to
>the future of programmming environments like DrScheme) to be one by
>Chris Page.
>He points toward how programming can rise above languages and textual
>representations. He mentions the book "Human Factors and Typography for
>More Readable Programs" by Ronald M. Baecker & Aaron Marcus. Chris's
>full comment is available at:
>http://x56.deja.com/getdoc.xp?AN=656713307&CONTEXT=965918514.12353537 
>0&hitnum=18
>
>-Paul Fernhout
>Kurtz-Fernhout Software
>=========================================================
>Developers of custom software and educational simulations
>Creators of the Garden with Insight(TM) garden simulator
>http://www.kurtz-fernhout.com