README

This is Cat's Eye Technologies' fork of the original Mini-Scheme
implementation, miniscm, by Atsushi Moriwaki.  The original README can
be found below, following the first line of equals signs in this file.

My understanding is that Akira KIDA is no longer actively maintaining
this project, and that the Mini-Scheme language and miniscm reference
implementation effectively have no maintainer.  It is not my objective
to become the new maintainer of the language or implementation; rather,
it is simply to provide a modernized and generally backwards-compatible
source base for miniscm.

This code was forked from version 0.85k4.  The current version of this
fork is 0.85ce1.  (I elected to use "ce" for "Cat's Eye" because "p" for
"Pressey" is too easily confused with "patchlevel".)

Some improvements that have been made:

- modernized Makefile (defaults to 4.3 BSD, which works for Linux)
- removed compiler warnings (under 4.3 BSD)
- made compilable under AmigaOS 1.3 with DICE C
- added -q command line option to suppress all non-explicit output
  (this includes the prompt; if you want output, use (display))
- added -e command line option to cause all errors to be treated
  as fatal errors (exit interpreter immediately with error code 1)

Some further improvements I might consider:

- add -i command line option to specify the location of init.scm
- add -l command line option to disable abbreviated quote output
- allow source file(s) to be specified on command line

If you are interested in a more developed and actively maintained
Scheme implementation which started as a fork of miniscm, check out
the BSD-licensed TinyScheme: http://tinyscheme.sourceforge.net/

There is also another fork of miniscm on Sourceforge with the name
"minischeme", although at 2 megabytes, I'm not sure it deserves the
appelation "mini" any more: http://sourceforge.net/projects/minischeme/

-Chris

 =====================================================================

      ---------- Mini-Scheme Interpreter Version 0.85 ----------

                coded by Atsushi Moriwaki (11/5/1989)

            E-MAIL :  moriwaki@kurims.kurims.kyoto-u.ac.jp
            MIX    :  riemann
            NIFTY  :  PBB01074
	    (Note that these addresses are now obsolete, see below)

 =====================================================================

		Revised by Akira KIDA

		Version 0.85k4  (17 May 1994)
		Version 0.85k3  (30 Nov 1989)
		Version 0.85k2  (28 Nov 1989)
		Version 0.85k1  (14 Nov 1989)

	Mini-Scheme is now maintained by Akira KIDA.

	E-Mail	: SDI00379@niftyserve.or.jp

	Most part of this document is written by Akira KIDA.
	Send comments/requests/bug reports to Akira KIDA at the above
	email address.
	
 =====================================================================

 This Mini-Scheme Interpreter is based on "SCHEME Interpreter in
 Common Lisp" in Appendix of T.Matsuda & K.Saigo, Programming of LISP,
 archive No5 (1987) p6 - p42 (published in Japan).


 Copyright Notice:
	THIS SOFTWARE IS PLACED IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN BY THE AUTHOR.

 This software is completely free to copy, modify and/or re-distribute.
 But I (Atsushi Moriwaki) would appreciate it if you left my name on the
 code as the author.

 DISCLAIMER:
    THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED ``AS IS'' AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR
    IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED
    WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
    PURPOSE.


 Supported features (or, NOT supported features :-)
	1) Lists, symbols, strings.
	   However, strings have very limited capability.
	   For instance, there is *NO* string-ref, string-set!, ... etc.
	2) Numbers are limited to FIXNUM only.
	   There is *NO* complex, real, rational and even bignum.
	3) Macro feature is supported, though not the one defined in R4RS.

 Known problems:
	1) Poor error recovery from illegal use of syntax and procedure.
	2) Certain procedures do not check its argument type.

 Installation:
	1) Select system declaration and configuration options by editing
	   source file.

	   You may choose one of the following systems by #define'ing
	   the preprocessor symbol.

	   Supported systems are:
	     Macintosh:
		LSC	-- LightSpeed C (3.0) for Macintosh
		LSC4	-- LightSpeed C (4.0) for Macintosh
			   They are different in #include header only.
			   I (kida) think THINK C 5.0, 6.0, 7.0 may be OK
			   with LSC4 configuration, though not tested.
		MPW2	-- Macintosh Programmer's Workshop v2.0x
			   I don't tested v3.x or later.
	     DOS:
		MSC4	-- Microsoft C v4.0 (use /AL)
			   MSC v5.1, v6.0, v7.0 are all OK.
		TURBO2	-- Bolarnd's Turbo C v2.0 (use -ml)
			   Turbo C++ 1.0 is OK.
	     UNIX:
		BSD	-- UNIX of BSD flavor, ex. SuOS 4.x
		SYSV	-- UNIX of System-V flavor, ex. Sun/Solaris 2.x

	     VAX/VMS:
		VAXC	-- VAX-C v3.x (this symbol may be defined by the 
                           compiler automatically).

	2) Configure some preprocessor symbols by editing source files.

	   Configurable #define's are:

	#define VERBOSE
		-- if defined, GC messages is verbose on default.

	#define AVOID_HACK_LOOP
		-- if defined, do _NOT_ use loop construction in the
		   form
			do { ... } while (0)
		   This form is used in macro expansion, since this is
		   the best "safety" blocking construct when used in
		   macro definition.
		   However, some compiler (including SunPRO CC 2.0.1)
		   is silly enough to warning this construct, like
		   "warning: end-of-loop code not reached", etc.
		   If you dislike such warning, please define this symbol.
		   NOTE: You may get some "statement not reached" warning
		   even if you have define this symbol. Please be patient,
		   or, use more smart compiler.
		   In short if you use GCC, undefine this and forget it
		   at all.

	#define USE_SETJMP
		-- if defined, use setjmp to global jump on error.
		   if not defined, avoid to use it. Compiled with
		   this symbol defined, the interpreter issue fatal
		   error and return to the operating system immediately
		   when we run out of free cells. By default, i.e.,
		   compiled with this symbol is not defined, the
		   interpreter will just return to the top level in
		   such a case.
		   May not be used except for compiling as Mac DA.

	#define USE_MACRO
		-- if defined, macro features are enabled.

	#define	USE_QQUOTE
		-- if defined, you can use quasi-quote "`" in macro.
		   You can use macro even if this symbol is undefined.

	3) Compile!

	  I think there is virtually no problem about how to compile.
	  Since there is exactly one C source file. :-)
	  If you are on UNIX boxes with some BSD flavors, instead of
	  using make command, it's enough to type:

		cc -DBSD -O -o miniscm miniscm.c

	  You may have additional warnings like 'function should
	  return value'. This is due to omitting 'void' keyword
	  from the source in order to get pre-ANSI compatibility.


 Usage : miniscm

	Sorry, no command line argnumet is allowed.


 Special procedures of this system:

   gc             : (gc) -- force garbage collection

   gc-verbose     : (gc-verbose bool) -- GC verbose on/off
			Argument #f turnes off the GC message.
			Enything else turn on the GC message.

   quit           : (quit) -- quit to the operating system

   put            : (put sym prop expr)
                     -- set the value of a property of a symbol.
   get            : (get sym prop)
                     -- get the value of a property of a symbol.

   new-segment    : (new-segment n)
                     -- allocate n new cell segments.

   print-width	  : (print-width list)
		     -- returns 'printed' width of list.

   closure?	  : (closure? obj)
		     -- test if obj is a closure or not.

   macro?	  : (macro? obj)
		     -- test if obj is a macro or not.
		        note that a macro is also a closure.

  get-closure-code
		 : (get-closure-code closure-obj)
		     -- extract S-expr from closure-obj.

 Scheme files:
    init.scm	-- Automatically loaded at invocation.
		   Default setting assumes that this file is in the current
		   working directory.
		   Change #define InitFile if you don't like it.

    tools.scm	-- This is a sample file. Contains very tiny pretty-print
		   procedure.
		   After invoking miniscm, type:
				(load "tools.scm")
		   and try
				(pp getd)
				(pp do)

 Documents?:

  Sorry, there is no other documents.
  Do not ask one for me, please see the source instead. :-)

  But if you _absolutely_ need help, please email to me at:
	<SDI00379@niftyserve.or.jp>

  Enjoy!

 -- Akira KIDA
	Sysop for FPL in NIFTY-Serve in JAPAN.
	(FPL stands for 'Forum for Program-Language')