[r6rs-discuss] [Formal] Conflating programs and scripts

[Anton van Straaten]

(Posting as an individual, not speaking for the R6RS editors.)

Andre van Tonder wrote:
> Marking the interpreter as part of the program text is an
> idiosyncratic practice particular to unix scripts, conflating
> orthogonal concerns.  The Unix design is not necessarily a particularly
> good design.  It should not be adopted and blessed by the Scheme report.

An alternative perspective on this is that since the Unix design is 
unusual in that it intrudes on the source code of scripts, it is the 
only one which needs to be addressed explicitly.  If there were an 
"Operating Systems with Disabilities Act", this would be the report's 
way of complying with it.

(That's not to say that e.g. the Windows practice of associating file 
extensions with script engines wouldn't qualify as a disability under 
the Act, but it's not one that affects source code.)

Anton