From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Stefan Monnier Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: Guile in Emacs Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:07:18 -0400 Message-ID: References: <4B8147A9.7030504@gmail.com> <87hbp2fwoi.fsf@gnu.org> <87wrxrr4md.fsf@gnu.org> <3vsk8ecg6a.fsf@fencepost.gnu.org> <873a0euot4.fsf@stupidchicken.com> <873a0cyv3r.fsf@lola.goethe.zz> <87aauiho3y.fsf_-_@lifelogs.com> <1271028837.6164.55.camel@dell-desktop.example.com> <1271102739.6067.38.camel@dell-desktop.example.com> <8039yz34ka.fsf@tiny.isode.net> <1271173887.6067.53.camel@dell-desktop.example.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: lo.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: dough.gmane.org 1271175503 7753 80.91.229.12 (13 Apr 2010 16:18:23 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@dough.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:18:23 +0000 (UTC) Cc: Bruce Stephens , emacs-devel@gnu.org To: Thomas Lord Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Apr 13 18:18:21 2010 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([199.232.76.165]) by lo.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1O1iod-0008Vx-AE for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 13 Apr 2010 18:18:21 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:60125 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1O1ioa-0003rG-43 for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:18:16 -0400 Original-Received: from mailman by lists.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.43) id 1O1ief-0000pj-JG for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:08:01 -0400 Original-Received: from [140.186.70.92] (port=33594 helo=eggs.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.43) id 1O1iec-0000TT-8a for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:08:00 -0400 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1O1ie5-0007IC-6z for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:07:26 -0400 Original-Received: from pruche.dit.umontreal.ca ([132.204.246.22]:40110) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1O1ie5-0007Hp-1M for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:07:25 -0400 Original-Received: from ceviche.home (faina.iro.umontreal.ca [132.204.26.177]) by pruche.dit.umontreal.ca (8.14.1/8.14.1) with ESMTP id o3DG7J25020094; Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:07:19 -0400 Original-Received: by ceviche.home (Postfix, from userid 20848) id 0698CB43C0; Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:07:18 -0400 (EDT) In-Reply-To: <1271173887.6067.53.camel@dell-desktop.example.com> (Thomas Lord's message of "Tue, 13 Apr 2010 08:51:27 -0700") User-Agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/24.0.50 (gnu/linux) X-NAI-Spam-Score: 0 X-NAI-Spam-Rules: 1 Rules triggered RV3512=0 X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.6 (newer, 3) X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:123577 Archived-At: > I dunno. Maybe. I'd guess that, no, that's not a > good strategy. Four reasons come quickly to mind: I agree with your conclusion but for a very different reason. In my opinion the actual language used is not very important because most of the code that will be used with Emacs will be written specifically for Emacs. The availability of alternative implementations is also of no use because changing the underlying implementation is the part that's difficult (at least with Emacs's current structure). What matters is that we reuse some existing implementation and benefit from all the work done on it, so we don't have to spend time working on the Elisp byte-compiler. I like the idea of Guile not because it's using a "standard preexisting language with libraries and experienced coders", but because it'll give us a bunch of hackers working on efficient implementation, multithreading, ... Stefan PS: The same holds for the redisplay engine; I really hope/wish we will be able to switch to some other project's redisplay engine at some point.