Re: Killing off scm_init_guile for Guile 2.0 ?

[Linas Vepstas <linasvepstas@gmail.com>]

2009/1/16  <dsmich@roadrunner.com>:
> ---- Neil Jerram <neiljerram@googlemail.com> wrote:
>> scm_init_guile has always been a bit problematic, as it requires lots
>> of heuristic and OS-dependent code to try to determine where the base
>> of the stack is.  It's never been formally deprecated, but we have
>> always advised people to use scm_boot_guile or scm_with_guile if they

> Iirc, scm_init_guile is mainly used when you do not have access to main(), for example writing a module for apache.  Generally, when you want to add Guile to an already existing application that has plugins or extension modules via .so's.

This is an excellent example of where scm_init_guile
is exactly the *wrong* function to use. The problem is,
of course, that if you scm_init_guile in some .so,
you will accidentally place the entire system into guile
mode, and not just the .so, as intended.

Instead, you want to call scm_with_guile on entry to
the so, it will unwind on exit.

This could be cleared up by having the docs make
the case more forcefully.

--linas