Re: Anything better for delayed lexical evaluation than (lambda () ...)?

[David Kastrup]

address@hidden writes:

>> > and that other programs that use Guile for extension will run into
>> > similar difficulties, but as far as I can tell Lilypond is quite
>> > unique here.
>> 
>> Because nobody else uses Guile for serious extensions.  And not because
>> of its performance: that is _irrelevant_ for most extension purposes.
>> The performance angle is interesting when one uses Guile as a general
>> purpose _programming_ language.  You are sacrificing your target
>> clientele here.
>
> Obviously Guile does not suffer from too many users right now, but
> stating that Lilypond is the only project using Guile seriously seams
> a little excessive.

_As_ _an_ _extension_ _language_ rather than as a mostly independent
subsystem.

> Be confident that I'm ashamed by my ignorance but I do not know how
> exactly Lilypond uses Guile (nor what Lilypond exactly does), but your
> description of it does sound like it's the only way to "extend" a
> program.

Not at all.  But when we are talking about an _extension_ _language_,
the implication is that it works in bits and pieces where it is
convenient.  That it _integrates_ with a larger system.  Lexical
environments are a fundamental part of what integration may involve, and
they operate at a different level as modules.  Macros play _into_
lexical environments, so obviously Scheme itself recognizes the
importance of being able to extend.

-- 
David Kastrup