Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!tektronix!percy!data!kend
From: kend@data.UUCP (Ken Dickey)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.prolog
Subject: Re: Concerning standards.
Message-ID: <504@data.UUCP>
Date: 13 Jun 91 20:36:23 GMT
References: <6209@goanna.cs.rmit.oz.au>
Organization: Microcosm, Beaverton, OR
Lines: 61



In comp.lang.prolog goanna.cs.rmit.oz.au writes:

>There has been some discussion in both comp.lang.prolog and
>comp.lang.scheme recently concerning standards for the respective
>languages. ...

>1.  Adding and Subtracting 1.

-1 is a negative number, so cannot be a procedure: (- 0 1) -> -1

This was done as part of syntax cleanup for numbers (partly because
people found the procedure names 1+, -1+, etc. confusing; partly because
of parsing complex number syntax: e.g. "-1+3i").


>    Frankly, I am getting just a little bit tired of having to go
>    through Scheme code fixing references to 1+, 1-, and -1+.

This looks like a global-replace+educate to me.  (Note: given the
growth in the Scheme community, most Scheme code had yet to be
written).


>    However, sorting is not part of the Scheme standard or R^(3.99)RS.

This is because we were specifying the language, not a standard
library.  One of the joys of Scheme is the ability to add new data
types (e.g. Windows) without changing the language.


>That's looking at the effect of a `minimal' standard.
>Mind you, some of the things the standard _does_ say haven't received
>much in the way of conformance, so perhaps it doesn't really matter
>that these things _were_ left out of the standard.

As the IEEE standard was just published this month, this should not be
suprising.  Note that authors of virtually all Scheme compilers I know
of were represented on the standards committee (MIT, Chez, MacScheme,
Gambit, Scheme84, Scheme->C, PCScheme, Scheme XEROX, etc.--even a
Japanese group).  I expect all live compilers will be complient within
a few months.


-Ken Dickey				kend@data.uucp

=========================================================================
PS: for those interested...
=========================================================================
The IEEE Standard for the Scheme Programming Language, IEEE Std 1178-1990,
is available from

    IEEE Service Center
    445 Hoes Lane
    P.O. Box 1331
    Piscataway, NJ 08865-1331

or by calling 1-800-678-IEEE.  The order number is SH14209 and the price is
$40, with a 30% discount for IEEE members.  Credit cards and checks are 
accepted.