5 ms·

I don't have the exact quote/source right here handy, but I believe that was Guy Steele's intention with Scheme.

• Jtsummers 11y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheme_(programming_language)#R6RS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheme_(programming_language)#... This was a concept for R6RS (not sure what happened, apparently some controversy with it) and R7RS has (attempted? succeeded?) in going in this direction.
  • duaneb 11y ago
    IIRC R6RS was deemed too modular for not much reason while abandoning backwards compatibility. Thus, R7RS was split into small/large specs, and largely builds on R5RS.
    • bitwize 11y ago
      R6RS was the systemd of language standards. It went against the very philosophy of the language it purported to standardize, and was basically a prescriptive standard based on a few influential individuals' notion of what Scheme "should" be. That's another reason why I remain unswayed in my detestation for systemd: I'd seen this movie before and I don't like how it ends.
• tikhonj 11y ago
  He gave a brilliant talk about it: "Growing a Language"[1]. The idea is to make languages that grow—ones that provide a small, uniform core that can be extended by the user. Ideally, these extensions feel like first-class citizens: things added by users should feel on par with built-in language features. It's still one of the best technical talks I've ever come across. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ahvzDzKdB0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ahvzDzKdB0
  • agumonkey 11y ago
    He even humorously implied that a growing language shrinks, by replacing many specific constructs with a single general one.