[plt-scheme] one approach to the Scheme steering committee

From: Shriram Krishnamurthi (sk at cs.brown.edu)
Date: Sat Mar 7 23:06:10 EST 2009

The Scheme community's problem is its starkly sequential numbering of
standards.  This forces people to stake their claim on the unique next
available number, which is far too little numeric turf.  It is also
sadly unimaginative for a language with such a lovely number system.

I therefore suggest that future Scheme standardizers deploy the Scheme
number system to its full extent.  For instance:

- If you want to create an experimental language that deviates from
R6RS slightly, you can call this R#i6RS.

- If you want to make a version of R6RS that accommodates a range of
options stretching from R6 all the way to R7, you can call this
language R6.#RS.

- Finally, those wishing to return Scheme to its roots, to make a hard
turn away from practicalities back to the realm of pure notation, have
a wonderful option: call it R0+6iRS.  I propose reading this as

  The Revised^6 Report on the Imaginary Language Scheme

Shriram


Posted on the users mailing list.