[Chicken-users] To whom it may concern: Working on TinT

[Kon Lovett]

Hello List,

I am working on TinT (Tint is not Termite), a Chicken specific  
Termite workalike. Alike in the sense that is generally shares syntax  
& semantics, but I feel under no constraint to be 100% faithful. (How  
could I be, Termite is still evolving.)

Concepts

- Follows "impure" Actor model.

- Messages are sent & received. A message is any serializable scheme  
object. Message objects are immutable.

Non-serializable objects are proxied by a process.

All messages are typed with a parallel message typing system. (Non- 
Termite)

- Message Receiver is a process. Message Sender is a process.

- A process belongs to a Process Runner.  A process runner is on a  
node. (Non-Termite)

Node corresponds to Machine. Process Runner to OS Process.

- A node is local or remote. All local nodes share physical  
resources, especially memory. A remote node only shares a network.

The current process runner on a local node is called the This Node.

- A this node process is an active procedure (SRFI-18 threads).

- A non-this node process is handled by a this node proxy process.

- The physical method of message passing is node locale dependent.

This node processes share objects in the OS process space.

Local node processes share objects in a shared memory space. (Non- 
Termite)

Remote node processes serialize objects and use a network protocol,  
not necessarialy reliable.

- Multiple naming systems, with scope of this, local & remote nodes.  
(Non-Termite)

- Identifiers are names (as defined by a naming system).

- A node identifier could be (IP TCP-PORT).

- A process identifier could be (SERIAL-NUMBER NODE-ID).

- Out-of-band messages are used for Exception Conditions (SRFI-12  
conditions).

The Naming & Typing Systems are to help abstract away possible  
support for non-Chicken Processes, and therefore Messages, etc.

No time table. Ready when it's ready.

Feedback welcome. Doesn't mean I will act on all suggestions,  
criticisms, ...

Hell, I already don't like This Node.

Best Wishes,
Kon