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Ticket 488: The draft is a move away from unity

2013-07-07 03:20:44
WG1 - Core
alexshinn
major
cowan
wontfix
source
closed
2013-05-12 22:52:03
defect

Jim Wise writes:

I see the sharp disregard this standard shows for compatibility with R6RS Scheme as a move away from unity in how Scheme implementations add the parts of a modern programming language which R5RS lacked, and I see the sharp disregard this standard shows for the effort so many have put into standardizing, implementing, and extending R6RS as a blow to the united focus of the Scheme community.

I can only say that in my view no such unity, or united focus, exists. I think I have examined more Schemes more carefully than anyone else in the world, almost fifty of them, and what is immediately apparent is the wild diversity not only in extensions to R5RS, but in the kinds of deviations from it. This is by no means gratuitous diversity, either; almost every Scheme has its own set of goals, explicit or tacit, that distinguishes it from all others. Doubtless R6RS was intended to provide that united focus, but it has clearly not done so. It is not even the case that every implementation that provides it recommends its routine use.

I will add that the introduction of R6RS was not in itself a move toward or away from unity, but the fact that it was not widely accepted by existing implementations caused a de facto separation of implementations into R5RS and R6RS. As has been noted, R7RS-small is not directly intended to address this separation.

resolutionwontfix
statusnewclosed

The WG decided by unanimous consent to take no action on this ticket.