Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: Notesfiles $Revision: 1.7.0.10 $; site ti-csl Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!inuxc!pur-ee!uiucdcs!convex!ti-csl!haddock From: haddock@ti-csl Newsgroups: net.lang.lisp Subject: Re: Need SCHEME interpreter/compiler Message-ID: <7400003@ti-csl> Date: Tue, 4-Feb-86 23:10:00 EST Article-I.D.: ti-csl.7400003 Posted: Tue Feb 4 23:10:00 1986 Date-Received: Fri, 7-Feb-86 20:57:36 EST References: <18900003@uiucdcs> Lines: 108 Nf-ID: #R:uiucdcs:18900003:ti-csl:7400003:000:5110 Nf-From: ti-csl!haddock Feb 4 22:10:00 1986 >>. PC Scheme (unofficial name) is ... being developed at Texas Instruments. >> It runs on the [TI and IBM PCs]. PC Scheme is still under development >> and is not available commercially. However, [TI] will make [beta test] >> implementations available to [educational] institutions. ...contact >> >> Texas Instruments >> PO Box 2909 >> Austin, Texas 78769 >> Attn: Scheme Product Center, M/S 2244 Allow me to update this without much, if any, marketing hype ["just the facts, Ma'am"]. I believe this notice was also sent to the Scheme-Flamers mailing list "somewhere" at MIT (sorry, I just don't remember exactly). Implementation: PC Scheme Developed by: Texas Instruments Computer Science Lab Supported by: Texas Instruments Digital Systems Group Hardware: TI Professional and TI Business-Pro Computers, IBM PC, PC/XT, PC/AT and IBM compatibles Operating Systems: MS(tm)-DOS 2.1 (PC-DOS) or better (at least 320K, dual floppy) Price/Availability: List price - $95, available in December 1985 Implementation: Incrementally compiled to byte-codes Intended Use: Education, research, and support of AI software on PCs PC Scheme is an implementation of Scheme for the TI Professional Computer and IBM(r) Personal Computer families. The product consists of an optimizing compiler, a byte-code interpreter, extensive run time support, an interactive, display-oriented editor, a language reference manual, and a user's guide. The system was developed on the TI Professional Computer in Scheme itself, with critical run time routines coded in C and assembly language for increased performance. PC Scheme provides all the essential and most of the optional features of the Revised Revised Report on Scheme. It fully supports the dialect used in the book "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs" by Abelson and Sussman as well as many extensions developed at Indiana University, MIT, and TI. These include first-class engines and environments and an experimental, object-oriented programming system with dynamic multiple inheritance called SCOOPS. Data type support includes symbols, lists, vectors, strings, fixnums, bignums, flonums (64 bit IEEE floating point), characters, closures, continuations, environments, and I/O ports. Evaluation is based on incremental compilation to byte-coded "virtual machine" code which is emulated using threaded code techniques. Informal benchmarks, including some of the Gabriel set, show PC Scheme programs to be about 3-10 times faster than interpreted IQLISP(tm) and 2-4 times faster than interpreted Golden Common LISP(tm). PC Scheme is oriented primarily towards compilation and fast execution rather than extensive source-level debugging. However, it does provide trace and breakpoint facilities and an interactive Inspector with commands to display and manipulate call stack frames and lexical environments, edit variable bindings, trace back through a chain of procedure calls, and evaluate expressions in the environment of a breakpoint. All user-correctable errors trap to the Inspector. The display-oriented editor supplied with PC Scheme is a subset of EDWIN, a version of EMACS written by the Scheme project at MIT and adapted to PC Scheme by TI. 512K bytes of RAM are required to use EDWIN. Other PC Scheme run time support includes windowed screen input/output, graphics, a pretty-printer, and an editor of in-memory list structures. Compiled files can be converted to a "fast-load" format to speed up load times. Files containing variable definitions can be "autoloaded" on demand. A Winchester disk minimizes the inconvenience of autoloading, but is not required. Documentation includes a 286-page language reference manual and a 93-page user's guide. Neither manual attempts to be a tutorial manual for Scheme itself. PC Scheme is being used extensively within Texas Instruments and is the basis for future releases of TI's PC-based AI products, including Arborist (tm) and the Personal Consultant Plus (tm). It is currently in use at approximately 25 universities in various settings (classes, experimentation, evaluation). PC Scheme may be ordered beginning November 15 for shipment in December. To order, write to Texas Instruments, MS 2151 12501 Research Blvd., Austin, TX 78759 and ask for TI Part number #2537900-0001. You may also order by telephone using MasterCard or VISA by calling 1-(800)-TI-PARTS. Questions or comments on the product may be directed to the address given above. We also welcome less formal technical questions and comments, which may be directed via CSNET to either Don Oxley at CSNet address "Oxley%CSL60@TI-CSL" or to me at one of the USENET/ARPA/CSNET addresses below. -Rusty- ================================================================ *hardcopy* *electr{onic, ic}* Rusty Haddock ARPA: Haddock%TI-CSL@CSNET-RELAY.ARPA POB 226015 M/S 238 CSNET: Haddock@TI-CSL Texas Instruments Inc. USENET: {convex!smu,texsun}!ti-csl!haddock Dallas, Texas VOICE: (214) 995-0330 75266