frontpage.
newsnewestaskshowjobs

Open Source @Github

fp.

Open in hackernews

Extending a Language – Writing Powerful Macros in Scheme

https://mnieper.github.io/scheme-macros/README.html
92•textread•1y ago

Comments

neilv•1y ago
A few formatting changes might make this advanced example easier to understand:

    (define-syntax trace-let
      (syntax-rules ()
        [(trace-let name ([var expr] ...) body1 ... body2)
         (let f ([depth 0] [var expr] ...)
           (define name
             (lambda (var ...)
               (f (+ depth 1) var ...)))
           (indent depth)
           (display "(")
           (display 'name)
           (begin
             (display " ")
             (display var))
           ...
           (display ")")
           (newline)
           (call-with-values
               (lambda ()
                 body1 ... body2)
             (lambda val*
               (indent depth)
               (fold-left
                (lambda (sep val)
                  (display sep)
                  (display val)
                  " ")
                "" val*)
               (newline)
               (apply values val*))))]))
The biggest one is to make the rule template pattern variables all-uppercase. I also made a few other tweaks, including using indentation a little more, and naming the named-`let` variable as "loop" (I usually name it `loop` or prefix the name with `loop-` if there's more than one):

    (define-syntax trace-let
      (syntax-rules ()
        ((trace-let NAME ((VAR EXPR) ...) BODY1 ... BODY2)
         (let loop ((depth 0)
                    (VAR   EXPR) ...)
           (define NAME
             (lambda (VAR ...)
               (loop (+ depth 1) VAR ...)))
           (indent depth)
           (display "(")
           (display (quote NAME))
           (begin (display " ")
                  (display VAR)) ...
           (display ")")
           (newline)
           (call-with-values (lambda ()
                               BODY1 ... BODY2)
             (lambda val*
               (indent depth)
               (fold-left (lambda (sep val)
                            (display sep)
                            (display val)
                            " ")
                          ""
                          val*)
               (newline)
               (apply values val*)))))))
Incidentally, all-uppercase Scheme pattern variables is one of the all-time best uses of all-uppercase in any language. Second only to all-uppercase for the C preprocessor, where a preprocessor macro can introduce almost arbitrary text. Using all-uppercase for constants in some language that has constants, however, is an abomination.

(My suspicion of why Java did all-caps is that they were developing a language for embedded systems developers who were currently using C and C++, and they wanted to make it superficially look similar, even though it was an entirely different language. And then, ironically, the language ended up being used mostly by the analogue of a very different developer of the time: corporate internal information systems developers, who, as a field, didn't use anything like C. It's too late to save Java, but to all other language and API developers, please stop the insanity of all-caps constants, enum values, etc. It's not the most important thing that needs to jump out from the code above all other things.)

Y_Y•1y ago
FWIW, all-caps makes this look much worse to me. I understand that people like things like Hungarian notation, arrows over vector names, and shouting Common Lisp symbols. I understand the argument that it can make reading easier. I just can't appreciate that benefit, and it seems to me an ugly hack which obscures the abstract and general symbolic manipulation going on.

This is all highly subjective of course, de gustibus non disputandem.

neilv•1y ago
You mean aesthetically, in that interspersed all-caps makes the code visually less soothingly sensual?

I can sympathize, but let me make a non-aesthetic argument...

In large blocks of code, with all-caps, you can see at a glance where all the template substitutions are happening, and also instantly know as you're reading code what are variables and what are template substitutions?

I'm asking because one of my realizations in recent years is that not everyone reads or sees code the same way.

For example, maybe some people are stronger "visual" and some people are stronger "verbal".

For another example of a different in how people perceive and think, some people can visualize an object in their mind almost as if they're looking at it, but other people can only know and describe what it looks like without bringing a visual of it into their head.

With the benefit of the all-caps, I can glance at this and immediately see much of the structure of the template. Without all-caps, I'd have to work harder to find all the pattern variables, and the structure would be obscured.

For a bit kludgy practical matter, as I'm quickly looking at pieces of code in a template, with all-caps, I can look at a fragment of code in isolation and know what are and aren't pattern variables. Without that, I have to go read the top of the template clause (and read through any syntactic scopes of `let-syntax`) and get that in my head, until I get to the fragment of code I originally wanted to look at.

IDE support can make this unnecessary, with a hypothetical great IDE, with familiar syntax coloring. But still, if there is one thing that all-caps should be reserved for, it's something like this.

With all-caps, your code can be sensual, and the jolting all-caps bits are look out, potentially arbitrary code gets pasted into here.

mnemenaut•1y ago
https://github.com/rogerturner/scheme-macros/blob/main/examp... shows stepwise development of a trace-let [the `(example: (fn arg) => result)` forms are tests - see check-examples library]
Y_Y
•
1y ago
Since you asked, my objection is both aesthetic and semantic, though I was really referring to the semantic part above.

I think you've hit the nail on the head with this visual vs. verbal distinction.

I can add a few clarifying details. I don't use IDEs as much as basic text editors maybe with highlighting, and I try not to rely on any fancy features. It does worry me that the allcaps use you describe is (afaik) not known to the editor or interpreter, so if you make a mistake or the symbol gets out of sync with its meaning (re: pattern variables) you may have a false signal. Finally I'll say that in the end I can't suggest a good way to treat these special variables, and so maybe I don't get it, or tastes like mine would be better served by a different formalism for macros.

Muse Glimmer: 30B-parameter model optimized for always-on local agent workflows

https://research.meta.ai/blog/introducing-muse-glimmer-open-agentic-model
973•riordan•12h ago•549 comments

Mark Zuckerberg attacks 'closed' AI rivals as Meta returns to open models

https://www.ft.com/content/4e3957f8-ea7c-4c46-a3de-cdce8e526878
298•root-parent•8h ago•339 comments

Rust SIMD on the GPU

https://www.vectorware.com/blog/simd-on-gpu/
96•sagacity•4h ago•48 comments

Sonic Pi v5

https://www.patreon.com/samaaron/posts/sonic-pi-v5-166001392
272•samaaron•3d ago•72 comments

Illinois Just Passed a Law That Puts Linux on the Hook for Age Verification

https://linuxstans.com/illinois-hb5511-operating-system-age-verification/
238•speckx•2h ago•287 comments

Publishing Schematics Before "Open Source" Was a Word

https://fabscene.medium.com/publishing-schematics-before-open-source-was-a-word-55-years-of-akizu...
30•extralongdivisi•3d ago•8 comments

Confessions of a Long-Distance Sailor

https://arachnoid.com/lutusp/sailbook.html
21•AntiRush•2h ago•4 comments

Show HN: Needle2: 14MB agentic LLM for phones, wearables, smart home and robots

https://cactuscompute.com/needle
87•HenryNdubuaku•5h ago•52 comments

Amazon backs power plant that may become top source of US climate pollution

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/amazon-funds-biggest-gas-power-plant-in-us-despite-cl...
83•pjmlp•1h ago•43 comments

Exploiting System Management Mode with a very long interrupt

https://github.com/xoreaxeaxeax/smiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
108•WhiteDawn•6h ago•34 comments

Launch HN: Stoa Markets (YC S26) – A Marketplace for GPUs and AI Servers

https://www.stoaexchange.com
59•erenberke•6h ago•39 comments

The Psychedelic Toad of the Sonoran Desert

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bufo_Alvarius:_the_Psychedelic_Toad_of_the_Sonoran_Desert
63•simonebrunozzi•6d ago•46 comments

Squeak 6.1

https://squeak.org/release_notes/6.1/
202•fniephaus•10h ago•101 comments

Stop Killing Games: It's time to sue Sony, join us

https://www.massaschadeconsument.nl/collectieve-acties/playstation/
70•EDM115•2h ago•26 comments

Humanising LLM Outputs Is Dumb

https://kuber.studio/blog/Reflections/Humanising-LLM-Outputs-is-Actually-Dumb
118•kuberwastaken•9h ago•69 comments

Stowaway – take the window seat on any plane or satellite overhead

https://stowaway.live/
41•thunderbong•3d ago•4 comments

Ask HN: In your experience, what are sound conventions for e-ink UI development?

123•BoxOfRain•3d ago•42 comments

Parametron: 50s Japanese computer that uses neither transistors nor vacuum tubes

https://ethw.org/Milestones:Parametron,_1954
168•xeonmc•12h ago•45 comments

Letter to Governor Abbott on responsible AI infrastructure in Texas

https://openai.com/index/responsible-ai-infrastructure-texas/
77•hackerBanana•8h ago•144 comments

Exploring Claude/GPT Knowledge Cutoffs and Pre-Training Timelines

https://blog.sshh.io/p/exploring-claudegpt-knowledge-cutoffs
86•sshh12•8h ago•12 comments

Magnitude 7.4 Earthquake – 5 km S of San José del Palmar, Colombia

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000tjl2/executive
147•Bender•7h ago•59 comments

Mistral Patent for “Code implemented tool calls”

https://patentsgazette.uspto.gov/week26/OG/html/1547-5/US12670045-20260630.html
201•theanonymousone•9h ago•169 comments

Tail-call optimization in C is relatively recent (2025)

https://lwn.net/Articles/1034703/
111•prakashqwerty•11h ago•106 comments

Google Search Is Dying. What Comes Next Is Worse

https://thewalrus.ca/google-search-is-dying/
8•awnird•24m ago•1 comments

Show HN: Higher-dimensional lattices unfolded into the 2D plane

https://number-garden.com/?@THLP@
9•unitX•4d ago•1 comments

Extreme 220GHz+Broadband Silicon Capacitor X2SC 0201M 22nF BV11

https://pim.murata.com/asset/pim4/siliconCapacitor/SICAP_X2SC422522_PDF_SILICONCAPACITOR
56•peter_d_sherman•7h ago•19 comments

Tl;dv: Over 180k meetings left wide open

https://bobdahacker.com/blog/tldv-hack
506•colesantiago•10h ago•171 comments

50k Boat Names

https://www.beautifulpublicdata.com/boat-names/
142•jonathanmkeegan•10h ago•102 comments

Mars Bar from 1991 found – and it's 20g bigger than today's

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1j1kjy7gewo
274•RickJWagner•7h ago•422 comments

Back to the Future of Handwriting Recognition (2016)

https://jackschaedler.github.io/handwriting-recognition/
32•at1as•7h ago•8 comments