[Chicken-janitors] #114: Improvements to tinyclos

[Chicken Trac]

#114: Improvements to tinyclos
---------------------------+------------------------------------------------
 Reporter:  tonysidaway    |       Owner:  tonysidaway
     Type:  task           |      Status:  new        
 Priority:  major          |   Milestone:             
Component:  extensions     |     Version:  4.2.x      
 Keywords:  tinyclos clos  |  
---------------------------+------------------------------------------------
 Attention should be paid to the following aspects of tinyclos.

 1. '''Internal documentation'''. The software can appear intimidatingly
 complex even to those who have worked extensively on it in the past.
 Where appropriate, large subsystems should be separated into program units
 or modules to improve maintainability.
 2. '''Testing'''. while unit tests show the software to be basically sound
 it would benefit from more detailed tests of the interaction of
 inheritance and polymorphism.
 3. '''Usability'''. The programmer interface shows signs of convergence
 with that of Common Lisp.  While this could be useful for software
 portability and to enable Common Lisp programmers to import their CLOS-
 programming skills to Scheme, it hampers full exploitation of the
 programming environment.  The interface should be extended so as to enable
 more natural use in Scheme's Algol-like block structure.  The programmer
 should be encouraged to treat generics as classes, classes as objects, and
 all of them as Scheme objects subject to Scheme's lexical scoping rules.
 4. '''Swig support'''. Tinyclos forms an important part of Swig's support
 for Chicken Scheme, being essential for wrapping C++ classes.  This
 functionality should be tested and, if necessary, fixed.
 5. '''Performance'''. The software should be profiled and improved where
 possible.  Lessons learned from other implementations of tinyclos, such as
 the hybrid C/Scheme implementation of STKlos, should be applied where
 appropriate.

-- 
Ticket URL: <http://www.irp.oist.jp/trac/chicken/ticket/114>
Chicken Scheme <http://www.call-with-current-continuation.org/>
Chicken Scheme is a compiler for the Scheme programming language.