Tag Archives: Scheme

Nanopass Compilers

Posted on 2014-02-13 by jcs

For the 2013 Clojure Conj, Andy Keep gave a great talk on nanopass compilers. The idea is that rather than having the normal 2, 3, or 4 passes in a compiler, you have several passes each of which does one … Continue reading →

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Why Python Replaced Scheme in MIT’s Undergraduate CS Course

Posted on 2013-12-07 by jcs

If you who have spent anytime at all on Irreal, you know that I’m a huge fan of SICP (Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs) the seminal work by Gerry Sussman and Hal Abelson that was used for years in … Continue reading →

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Interactive SICP

Posted on 2013-09-04 by jcs

Longtime Irreal readers know that I consider Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP) arguably the best computer science book ever written. Therefore, I was delighted when I discovered an online version of SICP with an embedded Scheme interpreter so … Continue reading →

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The Vivid Schemer

Posted on 2013-02-23 by jcs

Recursion always seems to cause beginning CS students trouble. One of the very best resources for learning and becoming comfortable with it is The Little Schemer. Although the exercises are in Scheme, they apply equally well to Common Lisp or … Continue reading →

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Chibi Scheme

Posted on 2012-10-13 by jcs

I just ran across an update announcement for Chibi Scheme, a small Scheme intended to be used as an extension language for C programs. It supports the small R7RS language and can be configured at compile time to produce a … Continue reading →

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Stop!

Posted on 2012-10-03 by jcs

Please. Stop. This. I’ve asked, nicely, previously. Now I’m getting annoyed. I’ve said it before: If you want Python, you know where to get it.

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Arguments against call/cc

Posted on 2012-08-31 by jcs

Pascal Constanza has a post that points us to an article by Oleg Kiselyow that argues against the call/cc function. Regular readers know that I am an admirer of call/cc so I’m not sure I agree with the idea that … Continue reading →

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A New PDF Version of SICP

Posted on 2012-08-03 by jcs

Long time readers know of my love affair with Abelson & Sussman’s Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs. I regard it as certainly one of the best and arguably the best computer science books ever written. MIT Press, in a … Continue reading →

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Scheme and Common Lisp

Posted on 2012-05-07 by jcs

I’ve been using Scheme and Common Lisp almost exclusively for over 10 years. During that time, I tended to favor Scheme because I liked its clean design and simplicity, the named let, continuations, and the simplicity that being a Lisp-1 … Continue reading →

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Guile Fail

Posted on 2012-04-10 by jcs

I have a set of guile scripts that I use to produce a rarely needed report. Today I tried to run the report and guile failed because it couldn’t find libltdl. No problem, I thought, it probably got wiped out … Continue reading →

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