[comp.lang.scheme] Scheme on a PC

kevin@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu (Kevin S. Van Horn) (12/22/88)

Does anyone know where I can get an implementation of Scheme on a
PC-compatible?  Please send e-mail.

Kevin S. Van Horn
kevin@cit-adel.caltech.edu

dbetz@mipsmag.UUCP (David Betz) (12/30/88)

If you're looking for a simple implementation of Scheme for the IBM-PC
(or the Mac or the Atari-ST or the Amiga ...), you could try XScheme.
It is an implementation of Scheme written in C.  It consists of a bytecode
compiler and a virtual machine to execute the bytecodes.

   David Betz
   MIPS Magazine
   (603) 882-1232

jefu@pawl3.pawl.rpi.edu (Jeffrey Putnam) (12/30/88)

In article <572@mipsmag.UUCP> dbetz@mipsmag.UUCP (David Betz) writes:

>If you're looking for a simple implementation of Scheme for the IBM-PC
>(or the Mac or the Atari-ST or the Amiga ...), you could try XScheme.
>It is an implementation of Scheme written in C.  It consists of a bytecode
>compiler and a virtual machine to execute the bytecodes.

>   David Betz

Ok, ill bite.  Where can i find XScheme?  Preferably by anonymous ftp?
Any graphics support?  Can i end another sentence in a question mark?

I would like to find a R3RS compliant scheme that is free (or near to it)
that i can provide for student use in a course ill be teaching.  Scheme
will not be required, but id like to provide an alternative to Fortran
(ick).


jeff putnam        -- "Sometimes one must attempt the impossible if only to
jefu@pawl.rpi.edu  --  show it is merely inadvisable."

dbetz@mipsmag.UUCP (David Betz) (01/02/89)

Right now, the way to get XScheme (for IBM-PC compatibles and the Macintosh)
is to send me a formatted disk (5.25 for the IBM-PC, 800K for the Macintosh)
and a STAMPED, self-addressed return mailer.  My address is:

   David Betz
   127 Taylor Road
   Peterborough, NH 03458

I'm working on making XScheme available through ftp from a machine at MIT.
I'll post a note here once that is setup.

David Betz

net@TUB.BITNET (Oliver Laumann) (01/06/89)

> I would like to find a R3RS compliant scheme that is free (or near to it)
> that i can provide for student use in a course ill be teaching.  Scheme
> will not be required, but id like to provide an alternative to Fortran

I'm soon going to publish the sources of a R3RS compliant Scheme
interpreter written in C; it should be easily portable to Atari-
or Amiga-type machines.  The distribution contains an interface to
both the Xlib and the X toolkit (Xt) which allows Scheme programmers
to make use of Xt widgets.  The functionality of the Xlib interface
is similar to that of CLX.
However, the interface to the X Window System is a prototype and currently
undocumented (if you don't count demonstration programs as documentation).

Regards,
--
Oliver Laumann              net@TUB.BITNET              net@tub.UUCP

chuck@io.UUCP (Chuck Cullen x4423) (01/10/89)

In article <8953@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>, kevin@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu (Kevin S. Van Horn) writes:
> Does anyone know where I can get an implementation of Scheme on a
> PC-compatible?

I have been planning on getting Scheme from Texas Instruments for use
on a pc project I told somebody I would do.
Does anybody disagree that the TI implementation is currently the best
solution available for Scheme on a pc?


Chuck Cullen
Interleaf, Inc.
10 Canal Park
Cambridge, MA 02141
(617) 577-9800 x4423
UUCP: {mit-eddie,bbn,sun!sunne}!ileaf!chuck

jefu@pawl20.pawl.rpi.edu (Jeffrey Putnam) (01/11/89)

In article <887@io.UUCP> chuck@io.UUCP (Chuck Cullen x4423) writes:

>I have been planning on getting Scheme from Texas Instruments for use
>on a pc project I told somebody I would do.
>Does anybody disagree that the TI implementation is currently the best
>solution available for Scheme on a pc?

I have PC Scheme and its not bad.  I do have a couple problems with it -
it doesnt support Hercules graphics, and every so often it goes away
with a "VM error" and just dies.  This happens completely unpredictably
and i cant get it to repeat at will.  

Other than that PC Scheme is good.  The documentation is huge and quite 
well done.  Its even fairly fast.

jeff putnam        -- "Sometimes one must attempt the impossible if only to
jefu@pawl.rpi.edu  --  show it is merely inadvisable."

manis@grads.cs.ubc.ca (Vincent Manis) (01/11/89)

In article <887@io.UUCP> chuck@io.UUCP (Chuck Cullen x4423) writes:
>Does anybody disagree that the TI implementation is currently the best
>solution available for Scheme on a pc?

I certainly don't. I've used it quite extensively (though not for
massive programs), and it satisfies my requirements quite well. V3.0
is pretty compatible with R^3S, and supports a fair number of
extensions (most of the worthwhile extensions are PC-specific). In
particular, it supports an external language interface which permits
you to invoke primitive procedures in any compilable language (I use
Turbo C). The package includes the interpreter/compiler, a debugger,
and an Emacs-compatible editor.

There are only two downsides to PC Scheme: (1) it's a bit sluggish on
my PC XT compatible (on an AT it's quite pleasant), and (2) it doesn't
produce standalone programs (therefore anyone who uses a PC Scheme
program has to have a licence for the interpreter). Still, for US$100,
it's very hard to beat.

TI's phone number (US only--us foreigners don't count) is 1-800-TI-PARTS.

____________  Vincent Manis                    | manis@cs.ubc.ca
___ \  _____  The Invisible City of Kitezh     | manis@cs.ubc.cdn
____ \  ____  Department of Computer Science   | manis%cs.ubc@relay.cs.net
___  /\  ___  University of British Columbia   | uunet!ubc-cs!manis
__  /  \  __  Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1W5    | (604) 228-2394
_  / __ \  _ "Had George III been a Scheme programmer, he might have responded
____________  to Patrick Henry by freeing him and then killing him."
              -- Michael Eisenberg
              

leverich@randvax.UUCP (Brian Leverich) (01/11/89)

Of the dozen or so PC Scheme or LISP dialects that I'm familiar with, TI's
PC Scheme clearly has the best performance for its price.  The
implementation really is remarkably well done.

The only "limitations" that have caused me pain are that: (1) the extended
memory version doesn't know about protected mode, and consequently runs
much slower than the 640k version; and (2) there is no built-in way to
freeze a session at some point and then restart the session some other day
(although there is a slick mechanism for bouncing from Scheme to DOS and
back).  -B
-- 
  "Simulate it in ROSS"
  Brian Leverich                       | U.S. Snail: 1700 Main St.
  ARPAnet:     leverich@rand-unix      |             Santa Monica, CA 90406
  UUCP/usenet: decvax!randvax!leverich | Ma Bell:    (213) 393-0411 X7769

maner@bgsuvax.UUCP (Walter Maner) (01/12/89)

From article <887@io.UUCP>, by chuck@io.UUCP (Chuck Cullen x4423):
> Does anybody disagree that the TI implementation is currently the best
> solution available for Scheme on a pc?
> 
Until Betz puts his shareware XScheme in general release (Any Day Now),
TI Scheme is your best bet on a PC *IF* you have at least a 286 machine 
*AND* at least 1 meg of RAM.  I use TI Scheme on just such a machine and
am well satisfied with it.

-- 
CSNet   : maner@research1.bgsu.edu               | (419) 372-2337 
InterNet: maner@research1.bgsu.edu (129.1.1.2)   | Computer Science Dept.
UUCP    : ... !osu-cis!bgsuvax!maner             | BGSU
Generic : maner%research1.bgsu.edu@relay.cs.net  | Bowling Green, OH 43403

dbetz@mipsmag.UUCP (David Betz) (01/15/89)

PC Scheme by TI is a *very* nice product and well worth the money.  I'd
say it is the best implementation of Scheme for the IBM-PC.