Re: SRFI-25 -- multi-dimensional array support.

[Jeff Read]

On Sat, Sep 14, 2002 at 02:48:33PM -0500, Rob Browning wrote:
>   2) Is our array type close enough to be used as the underlying data
>      type for srfi-25?

I'm not sure... but it seems like this SRFI might be useful in deriving an 
array datatype that's abstract enough to handle dense or sparse arrays.

> 
>   4) In the *long* run do we try to merge our API with that of the
>      srfi or keep both APIs/datatypes and keep them separate?

It is my hope that the more adaptable of the two implementations (SRFI, Guile) 
will subsume the other to the greatest extent possible. Having different 
datatypes floating around that do essentially the same thing in most cases is 
inconsistent with Scheme's general linguistic cleanliness.

In the meantime, I think the best thing to do would be to have the SRFI 
implementation be optionally loadable, and its API override Guile's, or 
vice-versa.

>   5) Less importantly -- in the long run, should our built-in
>      multi-dimensional array support remain built-in or should it
>      become an add-on like the srfi, either a compile-time or run-time
>      add-on?  We've found that Guile is quite useful on small
>      platforms, and that tends to lead one to think about
>      customizability (i.e. to consider arrangements that would allow
>      small core + add-ons as needed).

Personally I like this idea. I use Guile as kind of a go-anywhere (well, 
anywhere there's POSIX) utility language, primarily. The ability to optionally 
remove extended functionality to get Guile into those hard-to-reach spots would 
be a welcome feature.

-- 
Jeffrey T. Read
"I fight not for me but the blind babe Justice!" --Galford