Re: GNU Extension Language Plans

Peter da Silva (peter@nmti.com)
Sat, 22 Oct 1994 00:00:34 GMT

In article <388u56$1gh@agate.berkeley.edu>,
Josef Dalcolmo <josefd@albert.ssl.berkeley.edu> wrote:
> You are missing the point. You and your customers are free to write
> extensions to your application in perhaps Python (very readable). Since you
> may distribute the Python to Scheme translator for free (under the GPL) You
> won't have to rewrite it nor will it restrict you from selling your product,
> that has a Scheme interface. You may even write your own extensions to your
> product in modified Tcl if you wish. So what's the problem ?

OK, here's the scenario: I want to maintain a config file (~/browse.cf, say)
that is generated by the application but the user shuld have the ability
to edit. It needs to be in a language easy to automatically generate, easy
to reload, easy for external programs to maintain, and easy for the naive
user to modify.

What language would you recommend I choose? How do I provide the tools so
that the user can *also* maintain it in their language of choice?

Under any such scheme as this, the language that it all ends up being in
is going to be Scheme. The translators are just not going to be used, long
term.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. Just something to keep in mind.

-- 
Peter da Silva                                            `-_-'
Network Management Technology Incorporated                 'U`
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