[r6rs-discuss] Libraries

From: MichaelL_at_frogware.com <MichaelL>
Date: Sun Nov 12 23:24:46 2006

> > Thanks, Robby. Very useful.
> >
> > Ultimately, though, it added to my list of concerns. :-) For example,
the
> > paper talks about how PLaneT avoids "magic updates" by using a special

> > link table that remembers the version of a library/module that another

> > library/module was originally linked to. You wouldn't be able to do
> > something like that with R6RS because the library selection algorithm
is
> > buried in the implementation. Still, reading about PLaneT helped me
form a
> > clearer picture of what I think might be wrong with R6RS. It will take
me
> > a day or two to get my thoughts down on paper.
>
> The intended semantics of the version numbers can be separated from the
> mechanism for specifying and resolving cross library references.

It depends what you mean. My point was that the current spec seems to
hard-code a resolution algorithm. Any implementation that differs from the
spec solves the problem but introduces new portability problems. Of course
we can try to tweak the current spec, but that will only cover what we
know so far--and that would have to be good enough to last until R7RS.

I think I have a sense of the deeper issue, but I need a day or two to
organize those thoughts. (I submitted comments on other library issues
today.)
Received on Sun Nov 12 2006 - 23:24:10 UTC