[plt-scheme] PLT v 4.0 discussion - planet browser

Mark, I do like your proposals, especially the data structure and  
planet idea:

* data structures: I think it would be fantastic to have a  
comprehensive functional data structure library in the core,  
especially because many of us reimplement such things all the time.

* planet requires: i totally agree that the syntax isn't as simple as  
it should get and the idea of a planet browser is good. I'd go even  
further. While a drop-down menu for currently installed packages is a  
neat idea, you could include ALL planet packages at the point when  
people download their drscheme. (They must access the web at that  
point, so getting one more URL then should be fine.) The Insert menu  
would naturally be split into locally available planet packages and  
remote packages.

;; ---

Now having said that, I think that *you* are in a perfect position to  
take on the two tasks and develop this software. I know the guy who  
trained you in the first course and the other one who had you in the  
second semester, and I think they got you started in the right  
direction :-)  This is also an effort where getting a non-core member  
to get this started is just the right thing. Also, you don't have to  
do it all by yourself. You could coordinate the efforts of others on  
this list. This is especially true for the data structures proposal,  
where it takes an API designer/coordinator and several implementors.  
Last but not least, neither of these tasks is on a critical path so  
delays and hick-ups won't kill anyone.

How about it? -- Matthias