From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Robert Uhl Newsgroups: gmane.lisp.guile.user Subject: Re: Around again, and docs lead role Date: 04 May 2003 15:34:01 -0600 Sender: guile-user-bounces+guile-user=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Message-ID: References: <3E92E1B40021F4D7@pop3.tiscalinet.es> <20030503113403.GC5407@www> NNTP-Posting-Host: main.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: main.gmane.org 1052084134 31751 80.91.224.249 (4 May 2003 21:35:34 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@main.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sun, 4 May 2003 21:35:34 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: guile-user-bounces+guile-user=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Sun May 04 23:35:32 2003 Return-path: Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 19CR8u-0008Fu-00 for ; Sun, 04 May 2003 23:35:32 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.10.13) id 19CR8j-0007t0-03 for guile-user@m.gmane.org; Sun, 04 May 2003 17:35:21 -0400 Original-Received: from list by monty-python.gnu.org with tmda-scanned (Exim 4.10.13) id 19CR84-0007WK-00 for guile-user@gnu.org; Sun, 04 May 2003 17:34:40 -0400 Original-Received: from mail by monty-python.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.10.13) id 19CR7q-00075g-00 for guile-user@gnu.org; Sun, 04 May 2003 17:34:27 -0400 Original-Received: from [66.7.170.6] (helo=latakia.dyndns.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.10.13) id 19CR7W-0006o1-00 for guile-user@gnu.org; Sun, 04 May 2003 17:34:07 -0400 Original-Received: (from ruhl@localhost) by latakia.dyndns.org (8.11.6/linuxconf) id h44LY2p28767; Sun, 4 May 2003 15:34:02 -0600 X-Authentication-Warning: latakia.dyndns.org: ruhl set sender to ruhl@4dv.net using -f Original-To: guile-user@gnu.org In-Reply-To: Original-Lines: 30 User-Agent: Gnus/5.0808 (Gnus v5.8.8) Emacs/21.2 X-BeenThere: guile-user@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1b5 Precedence: list List-Id: General Guile related discussions List-Help: List-Post: List-Subscribe: , List-Archive: List-Unsubscribe: , Errors-To: guile-user-bounces+guile-user=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.lisp.guile.user:1903 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.lisp.guile.user:1903 Thamer Al-Harbash writes: > > > To be successful at that, it's useful to have a tutorial, > > particularly when the language is as odd as a Lisp dialect can seem > > as first. Those unfamiliar with Scheme who happen upon Guile are > > likely to skip past, scared away by the parentheses and lack of a > > thorough introduction. > > I propose placing a link from the guile page to an on-line copy of the > Prentice Hall book which is reproduced there with the permission of > the publisher. It's my opinion (and I could be _quite_ wrong on this) that users don't really care about the language/implementation distinction. They use Perl; they use Python; they use Common Lisp; they use Guile. They don't want to have to keep in mind `this is the core of the language, while that is an implementation-specific add-on.' And really, they're kind of right: just as there is a commonality between Common Lisp and Scheme, so too there is a commonality between e.g. guile, gambit and SCM--but from the user's point of view, they're not-quite-compatible & thus different. What users want, I believe, is not an `introduction to Scheme,' but rather an `introduction to guile.' The former tells them about a language; the latter tells them how to solve their problems. I'm not saying that viewpoint is necessarily right or wrong, but it's my perception of what is in fact the case. -- Robert Uhl Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen! _______________________________________________ Guile-user mailing list Guile-user@gnu.org http://mail.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/guile-user