Cyclone is an experimental Scheme-to-C compiler that uses the Cheney on the MTA technique to implement full tail recursion, continuations, and generational garbage collection.

Getting Started

1. To install Cyclone on your machine for the first time use cyclone-bootstrap to build a set of binaries.

2. After installing you can run the cyclone command to compile a single Scheme file:

    $ cyclone examples/fac.scm
    $ examples/fac
    3628800
   

   And the icyc command to start an interactive interpreter:

    $ icyc
   
                  :@
                @@@
              @@@@:
            `@@@@@+
           .@@@+@@@      Cyclone
           @@     @@     An experimental Scheme compiler
          ,@             https://github.com/justinethier/cyclone
          '@
          .@
           @@     #@     (c) 2014 Justin Ethier
           `@@@#@@@.     Version 0.0.1 (Pre-release)
            #@@@@@
            +@@@+
            @@#
          `@.
   
    cyclone> (write 'hello-world)
    hello-world
   

   You can use rlwrap to make the interpreter more friendly, EG: rlwrap icyc.

3. If you need help learning the Scheme language try a classic textbook such as Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs.

   Also, check out the features page for a list of language features currently implemented.

Documentation

Features is a list of the language features implemented so far. For more information about the Scheme language implemented by Cyclone, see the R⁷RS Scheme Specification.

The Development Guide contains instructions for hacking on Cyclone.

Writing the Cyclone Scheme Compiler provides high-level details on how the compiler was written and how it works.

References

• CONS Should Not CONS Its Arguments, Part II: Cheney on the M.T.A., by Henry Baker
• CHICKEN Scheme
• Chibi Scheme
• Compiling Scheme to C with closure conversion, by Matt Might
• [Implementing an on-the-fly garbage collector for Java], by Domani et al
• Lisp in Small Pieces, by Christian Queinnec
• R⁵RS Scheme Specification
• R⁷RS Scheme Specification
• Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, by Harold Abelson and Gerald Jay Sussman
• The 90 minute Scheme to C compiler, by Marc Feeley

License

Copyright (C) 2014 Justin Ethier.

Cyclone is available under the MIT license.