RE: Scheme acceptance [no flames]

[Brent Fulgham <brent.fulgham@xpsystems.com>]

> Let's add another medium term point to Matthew's list: 
> 
>  * Notes: How to Use Scheme 
> 
>    MzScheme's needs "how to" notes in order to promote its 
>    use for simple scripting tasks (say interpreting some XML
>    data or rendering it, processing directory trees, ...)
>    and real programming (how to construct reusable units, 
>    how to create extensible data types, ...). 
> 

This sounds like a great idea.  There are three crowning achievements
that form the foundation for Perl's popularity:

1.  Excellent string handling (fast, efficient, easy-to-use)
2.  An excellent module exchange system (The CPAN Archive)
3.  "The Perl Cookbook".

So I propose we call the "How To Use Scheme" articles 
"The Schemer's Cookbook".  It falls in line quite nicely with
the food examples in "The Little Schemer" and "The Seasoned Schemer".

Any idea how to achieve #2?  I assume good use of the Unit's
architecture (as is now present in the various PLT add-ons) would
make this very easy.  We just need the web infrastructure to 
allow easy archiving and cataloging of this information, so that
a programmer could look up "XML parsing" or "GL graphic library"
and install them.

The only problem I've had with the PLT modules is that upgrading
of MzScheme proper can be problematic.  For example, if I install
an update of MzScheme on top of an existing installation that might
have various modules installed, there can very often be conflicts
or missing dependencies.  These dependency problems should be
recognized and handled in the install, so that the system does not
become unusable.  Of course, this is a relatively minor issue,
but I get a few bug reports from Debian users any time we bump
MzScheme to a new release.

Thanks,

-Brent