[r6rs-discuss] [Formal] Record layers are not orthogonal.

[Abdulaziz Ghuloum]

On Nov 16, 2006, at 12:50 AM, David Van Horn wrote:

>> Support for SRFIs, even SRFIs with portable implementations, is 
>> optional.
>> A convenient interface to records should be provided as part of the 
>> Scheme
>> language, not as an optional addition.
>
> I don't understand the problem with these syntactic layers being
> optional.  If they are compelling, implementations will support them.
> If not, why should they be included in the language standard?

If I may add that if they can be implemented portably, you wouldn't need
implementation support to use them.  You can just import and hack away 
(in
theory at least).

I see SRFIs as a way to ask implementors to support libraries that 
cannot
be expressed using R6RS.  Such libraries include FFI, networking, 
guardians,
etc.  Libraries that can be expressed directly using R6RS such as 
regular
expressions, XML parsers, adventure games, etc. are better distributed 
via
some other distribution mechanism (like PlaneT) since they do not need 
the
SRFI process.  Implementors can support popular libraries natively if 
they
wish.

Aziz,,,