dineen@apollo.uucp (Terence H Dineen) (12/13/85)
Can someone tell me:
Is MacScheme by Semantic Microsystems released? If so:
What hardware is required?
What is the cost?
How can it be ordered?
Thanks.
--
Terry Dineen UUCP: ...{yale,uw-beaver,decvax!wanginst}!apollo!dineenwillc@tekchips.UUCP (Will Clinger) (12/16/85)
(MacScheme is a high performance byte code interpreter for the dialect of LISP used at MIT in the introductory computer science course. The text for that course is Abelson and Sussman, "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs", McGraw-Hill and MIT Press.) In article <2ab4b5da.264c@apollo.uucp> dineen@apollo.uucp (Terence H Dineen) writes: > Is MacScheme by Semantic Microsystems released? Yes, and it is being used by several universities in their introductory computer science courses. > What hardware is required? An Apple Macintosh or Mac XL with 512K RAM. The internal floppy is sufficient, and MacScheme can use additional contiguous memory. > What is the cost? $125. > How can it be ordered? Send a letter and check to: Semantic Microsystems 4470 SW Hall Street, Suite 340 Beaverton OR 97005 (503) 643-4539 (You may also hear of a California address. The company began in Sausalito aboard a rented sailboat but has moved to more practical quarters here in the silicon forest.) Note: I was an author of MacScheme and have a financial interest in Semantic Microsystems. I now work for Tektronix, which has nothing to do with any of this. William Clinger Tektronix Computer Research Laboratory
skorstad@uiucdcsb.CS.UIUC.EDU (12/17/85)
/* Written 2:56 pm Dec 13, 1985 by dineen@apollo.uucp in uiucdcsb:net.micro.mac */
/* ---------- "MacScheme Query" ---------- */
Can someone tell me:
Is MacScheme by Semantic Microsystems released? If so:
What hardware is required?
What is the cost?
How can it be ordered?
Thanks.
--
Terry Dineen UUCP: ...{yale,uw-beaver,decvax!wanginst}!apollo!dineen
/* End of text from uiucdcsb:net.micro.mac */
MacScheme IS currently available from Semantic Microsystems. A 512K or
larger Mac is required. Only one disk drive is necessary. The cost is
$125.00 plus 6% sales tax for CA residents. (University and industrial
site licenses are also available.) To order MacScheme, just send $125.00
plus tax, if applicable to:
Semantic Microsystems
1001 Bridgeway Suite 542
Sausalito, CA 94965
By the way, I spoke with the president of Semantic Microsystems. She claims
that you can compile large programs by having MacScheme forget the source
code after it has compiled it. She said she has compiled a 30 page Lisp
program using MacScheme.
In most benchmarks, MacScheme code executes faster than ExperLisp.
-G. Skorstad
University of Illinois at Urbanakitchel@iuvax.UUCP (12/31/85)
Although Indiana Univ. does not use Scheme as much as MIT, we do have it as a required language in several courses. I have used MacScheme to write several assignments and been quite pleased with it. It runs fast on my Mac and seems to outperform the versions of the local Scheme running on our VAX 11/780s and VAX 11/785 under their normal student and faculty loading. MacScheme is ideal for anyone wishing to learn Scheme (especially with the Abelson and Sussman book). Scheme is a powerful and well-mannered descendant of Lisp. At $125 MacScheme is a bargain for what you get: 1) A full version of "standard" Scheme that is it follows the "Revised Revised Report on Scheme" published jointly by Indiana and MIT; 2) It includes a good structure editor that allows interactive editing of symbolic expressions; 3) There are good debugging facilities built in; and 4) It makes use of the Mac's features, i.e. windows, the mouse interface and so on. MacScheme also can be used for more than toy problems. In fact I have loaned my Mac running MacScheme to a faculty member here to do large programs for his research. I also think that there will soon be MacScheme with full access to the Toolbox. Will Clinger (who used to be a professor here) and his friends are quite sharp. It looks like they did a great job of implementation. NOTE: I have no financial interest in Semantic Microsystems.