Re: Scheme Programming Reference

["Jack Fitzpatrick" <jfitzpatrick@xxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message -----
From: Ralph Ferris <ralph@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> ...
> Interestingly enough, the author states: "Scheme is a small, exceptionally
> clean language which is, very importantly, fun to use." This is in
contrast
> to many descriptions of DSSSL, which frequently seem to start out by
saying
> "DSSSL style sheets are based on Scheme, this dialect of Lisp, and you're
> really going to be confused ..." Nothing like encouraging folks at the
outset.
>
Scheme is a very elegant language that seems uniquely formulated for
document processing.  There are some excellent text's, e.g. Dybvig's "The
Scheme Programming Language" that make it accessible to even us "cookbook"
programmers (not just guru PhD types).  You can download one of the various
PC Scheme's and work the examples in the book.  It really is fun--recursion
is more interesting to code than looping structures.  And now that I
"understand"  DSSSL enough to do what I need to do, it's fun also.  (What is
it about document processing that's so compelling for us?)  Unfortunately it
is just too bloody difficult to get up to speed on DSSSL independently.  As
a DSSSL user you have no choice but to follow this list in order to pick up
a little gem of "secret" information here and there.  I assume that there is
no market for a comprehensive DSSSL text that delineates the actual state of
the art--not just the standard, but this is what is needed.

Jack Fitzpatrick
ADP


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