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[epsilon-devel] Heads-up: news about GNU epsilon


From: Luca Saiu
Subject: [epsilon-devel] Heads-up: news about GNU epsilon
Date: Tue, 10 May 2016 12:53:23 +0200
User-agent: Gnus (Gnus v5.13), GNU Emacs 25.1.50.1, x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu

Hello subscribers.

I'm seizing the occasion of the web page update exchange to add some
more traffic to this list, which I've neglected too much.

Despite this the development of epsilon is *very* active, even if I've
not bragged in public about it.  My current work is happening on the
"threaded-code" branch, even if most of it is not actually related to
threaded code:
http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/epsilon.git/log/?h=threaded-code

The list of changes during this period of silence is quite remarkable.
Some major points include:

* bootstrap improvements: a new REPL image can now be generated without
  using Guile, from a previous version;

* example programs, including a nontrivial combinatorial game with its
  own manual;

* a threaded-code system written in C (typical speedup seems to range
  around a disappointing 4~6x: I will rewrite most of it and discuss it
  here on the list, as the experience has been instructive);

* lots of library improvements: command line support, fixed-point
  operations, pseudorandom number generation, iteration syntax,
  associative non-destructive data structures based on AVL trees,
  doubly-linked lists, lazy streams;

* I'm working on a new, much more ambitious compiler;

* A Constraint Solving system on finite domains based on (hyper-) Arc
  Consistency, originally started for use in the compiler but also very
  interesting on its own.  Making it efficient is my next task.

And I'm definitely forgetting something.  Yes, I'll also have to make an
official release at some point, not too far in the future.

The C runtime is clunky and should be cleaned up; the build system is
horrible, and the tutorial (now included in the distribution) in serious
need for updates.  By contrast I'm very satisfied with the recent code
written is epsilon.

I plan to resume the "café update" tradition on this list, even if
Alfred is now long gone and I'm no longer programming in cafés.  The
subscribers here are mostly friends of mine, so let's keep it lively and
informal: feel free to ask questions if you're curious.  When not at
work you can normally find me on freenode, logged in as lucasaiu.  If
sometimes you want to have a voice chat you can ask me: I have my own
Mumble server.

Regards,

-- 
Luca Saiu
* GNU epsilon:           http://www.gnu.org/software/epsilon
* My personal home page: http://ageinghacker.net

I support everyone's freedom of mocking any opinion or belief, no
matter how deeply held, with open disrespect and the same unrelented
enthusiasm of a toddler who has just learned the word "poo".



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