The Programming Language Scheme

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Schneider, Daniel

Affiliations: ISSCO, University of Geneva

Note: [] This paper is an abbreviated version of a paper that appeared in the SCIAGO Newsletter.

Abstract: The programming language Scheme was created originally as a distillation of proven concepts and new ideas in programming at MIT (Sussman and Steele, 1975). Scheme became what it is now by two different developments: Teaching (mainly at MIT and Yale) and programming-language research (mainly at Indiana). It has now become a serious tool for producing AI applications. In the last SGAICO Newsletter, Stoyan et al. (1987) discussed the European proposal for a LISP standard based on several layers. Since Common Lisp, a MacLisp derivative has been judged unclean, they suggested that a Scheme-like language should become the kernel language of a new international standard. The authors formulated a few objections to Scheme which in my opinion could be largly met by a new Scheme standard. A pure European standard might not survive against the tide of Common Lisp. The Scheme community is growing fast now, and Scheme has become a standard language for education in computer science in some major American Universities. In this article I will give a short overview of Scheme. Its history, philosophy and some of its syntax and semantics will be discussed.

DOI: 10.3233/AIC-1987-0105

Journal: AI Communications, vol. 0, no. 1, pp. 17-27, 1987