diff --git a/docs/History.md b/docs/History.md index 2a79c699..a4d6e22c 100644 --- a/docs/History.md +++ b/docs/History.md @@ -3,6 +3,49 @@ table of contents - [References](#References) +## TODO + +All of the references listed below were used to some extent to write Cyclone. + +mention husk-scheme + +## Scheme source-to-source transformations +One of the most important inspiration's for Cyclone was Marc Feeley's [The 90 minute Scheme to C compiler]() which includes a presentation, set of slides, and example code written in Gambit Scheme. Feeley includes an overview of how to compile Scheme to C code using source-to-source transformations, including closure and continuation-passing-style CPS conversions. The 90-minute scc ultimately compiles the code down to a single function and uses jumps to support continuations. This is a bit too limiting for a production compiler, so that part was not used. + +## C Runtime +Henry Baker's paper [CONS Should Not CONS Its Arguments: Cheney on the M.T.A.](http://www.pipeline.com/~hbaker1/CheneyMTA.html) was used as the target runtime as it provides a reasonably fast approach that includes all of the fundamental requirements for a Scheme runtime: tail calls, garbage collection, and continuations. + +TODO: explain brief overview of how it works, include some comments from him, explain coding style implications, etc + + +also mention value types from lisp in small pieces +also mention CHICKEN, a production-quality compiler that uses Baker's approach. + +## Scheme standards + +r7rs - library (C module) support is the most important, but also exceptions, improvements from r5rs, etc. + + +## Interpreter + +used meta-circular interpreter from SICP as a starting point + +## Macros + +Chibi scheme explicit renaming macros provide an efficient place to start + +## future + +should consider optimizations from Andrew Appel's book compiling with continuations. he developed a similar compiler for Standard ML of New Jersey, which is referenced by Baker's paper. + +## Conclusion + +From Feeley's presentation: + +> Performance is not so bad with NO optimizations (about 6 times slower than Gambit-C with full optimization) + +TODO: include simple, rough measurements of compile time Cyclone vs CHICKEN (most similar compiler) + ## References - [CONS Should Not CONS Its Arguments, Part II: Cheney on the M.T.A.](http://www.pipeline.com/~hbaker1/CheneyMTA.html), by Henry Baker